Flights to and from Jeju International Airport are operating normally Saturday after planes were grounded due to heavy snow, allowing thousands of stranded passengers to leave the island.

Full-scale operations at the airport began with a 7:10 a.m. flight to Gimpo International Airport, according to Korea's airport authority.

Some 509 flights to and from Jeju were scheduled as of 9 a.m. Saturday, including 33 additional flights to help bring stranded passengers to the mainland and other destinations.

Some 291 domestic and international flights landed at and departed from Jeju International Airport starting late afternoon Friday, after workers worked nearly eight hours to clear the runways of ice and snow.

Friday's operations included 28 additional flights, with Gimpo International Airport's flight operation hours extended by an hour to midnight.