Muan International Airport

Muan International Airport (MWX) is the principal airport of South Korea's South Jeolla Province, opened in 2007 to consolidate regional air services previously split between Gwangju (KWJ) and Mokpo. Located in Piseo-ri, Muan County, at 35 ft (11 m) elevation on the Yellow Sea coast, it was designed as the international gateway for Gwangju, Mokpo and Naju – a catchment of more than 3 million people in southwestern Korea. The airport's 9,186 ft (2,800 m) asphalt runway and modern two-storey terminal are engineered for 5 million passengers a year and widebody operations. Before the tragic December 2024 Jeju Air accident and the subsequent suspension of flights, Muan hosted a growing low-cost-carrier network, including Jin Air, Jeju Air and Air Busan services to Jeju (CJU) and international destinations across Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, China and the Philippines, alongside chartered flights to Mongolia and Central Asia. Phased reopening and safety upgrades have been announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport as part of the post-accident response. On the South Korean airport hierarchy MWX is positioned as the designated international gateway for Honam, complementing Incheon (ICN) and Gimhae (PUS). Its strategic role is closely tied to the Saemangeum free-trade zone, the Gwangju-Mokpo industrial corridor and ambitions for Jeolla-region tourism around Dadohaehaesang National Park, the Boseong green-tea fields and the Suncheonman wetlands. Rankings-wise, MWX sits among the mid-tier Korean airports by infrastructure scale, with runway length and terminal capacity well ahead of its current passenger volume.