TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Tigerair Taiwan (台灣虎航) stranded passengers overnight in Fukuoka after flight IT720 aborted its landing Monday (March 23) due to unstable conditions, forcing a diversion to Osaka Kansai Airport for refueling. The delay caused Flight IT721 to miss its departure from Fukuoka due to the airport's 10 p.m. curfew, the airline confirmed Tuesday (March 24). The disruption triggered a cascade of schedule changes affecting 10 flights across multiple routes, with delays extending up to five hours.
The airline acknowledged the inconvenience and offered affected passengers a fixed subsidy for accommodation and meals, issuing an apology Tuesday. Schedule changes affected flights to Kansai, Fukushima, Nagoya, Ryukyu, Okayama, and Phuket, with delays extending up to five hours. Tigerair Taiwan provided 1,500-yen (around US$10, or approximately NT$320) meal vouchers, but most airport shops had already closed by the time passengers received them.
Passengers reported their scheduled 5:55 p.m. flight did not board until nearly 10 p.m. Despite hearing the engines start at 10 p.m., the plane failed to secure takeoff clearance, forcing travelers to stay in Fukuoka. Affected passengers expressed frustration, noting the ordeal lasted nearly eight hours, with one passenger remarking it was their first time utilizing travel insurance.
Travelers faced further delays when they could not take their duty-free purchases out of the airport, leading to long queues for storage. Passengers finally checked into hotels by 1:40 a.m. Some passengers suggested delaying takeoff by 10 minutes to meet insurance compensation criteria. Ground staff explained the need to board promptly due to the 10 p.m. curfew at Fukuoka Airport.