A one-hour computer glitch delayed nearly 20 flights on Wednesday morning at Incheon International Airport, the government reported Thursday.
Some part of the control systems at the airport’s air traffic center had not functioned properly starting 10:30 a.m., the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said. No accidents or injuries were reported.
“The flight data processor partially did not work for 57 minutes but key processors were normally performing so there was no possibility of serious situations that could paralyze flight controls or cause a crash,” the ministry said in a statement.
 |
Officials introduce traffic control systems to aviation industry officials in January at Incheon International Airport’s air traffic center.(Yonhap News) |
While working with spare gears during the period, controllers extended the time interval between takeoffs for 18 flights to “secure flight safety,” the ministry said.
They immediately notified aviation authorities in Japan and China of the malfunction and asked them to hold up some Seoul-bound departures bound for a while, ministry officials said, adding they are working to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Up to 120,000 people leave or land every day at Incheon International Airport, Korea’s main gateway, which is located about 40 kilometers west of Seoul.
By Shin Hyon-hee (
heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
