BigHit Responds After CORTIS Faces Airport Delay Allegations

BigHit Music has responded to airport-related allegations involving rookie group CORTIS, saying the group did arrive late for a Paris-bound flight but denying claims that the members received special treatment, caused an unusual flight delay, or blocked other passengers.

The controversy grew after online posts accused CORTIS of misusing celebrity status during international travel. The claims centered on two separate allegations: that the group delayed an Air France flight to Paris after arriving late at the airport, and that a member blocked passengers in a boarding bridge while changing clothes during an earlier airport incident.

In its response, BigHit Music acknowledged that CORTIS reached the airport late on June 26 while traveling to Paris. The company attributed the late arrival to heavy road congestion following a traffic accident and apologized to fellow passengers who were inconvenienced. That admission gave the agency’s statement a narrower focus: it accepted responsibility for disruption caused by tardiness while challenging the broader interpretation spreading online.

Flight Timing Became The Center Of The Dispute

According to the report, online accounts alleged that CORTIS boarded at 2:45 p.m., several minutes after a listed 2:40 p.m. departure time, and suggested that the flight left late because of the group. BigHit Music disputed that conclusion, saying the circumstances did not support claims of special treatment or a major operational delay.

The source report cited flight information indicating that the aircraft left the gate at 3:01 p.m. and arrived one minute later than scheduled. It also noted that long-haul international flights often leave several minutes after their posted departure time because gate movement, runway traffic, and airport sequencing can affect the actual timeline.

That distinction is important because the public debate did not rest only on whether CORTIS arrived late. It also involved whether the group’s status changed the airline’s handling of the flight. BigHit’s position is that the late airport arrival created inconvenience, but that the available timeline does not show the group forced an abnormal delay or received improper preferential treatment.

For young idol teams, airport conduct can quickly become a reputational issue. Airports are among the few public places where fans, staff, regular passengers, and press-like social media observers can all converge. Even a short disruption can be interpreted through larger concerns about celebrity privilege, staff control, and how agencies manage artists in crowded public spaces.

Agency Denies Boarding Bridge Claim

The second allegation involved a separate incident said to date back to October of last year. Online claims alleged that a CORTIS member blocked passengers from leaving an aircraft while changing clothes inside a boarding bridge. BigHit Music rejected that account, saying the member was organizing personal belongings after passengers had already disembarked.

The agency also argued that photos used to support the allegation did not prove the claim. According to the report, the angle of the images suggested the person who took them had already exited the aircraft and turned back, which would not fit the claim that the member had been blocking passengers in front of them.

BigHit’s denial is therefore not only a general statement of intent. It relies on sequencing: whether passengers had already left, where the photographer stood, and whether the member’s actions actually prevented movement. The company said it was not true that the member blocked passengers or changed clothes while stopping others from leaving.

The episode shows how quickly airport moments can turn into broader narratives for K-pop acts, especially rookies still forming their public identity. CORTIS is connected to HYBE through BigHit Music, a label whose artist management decisions naturally attract close scrutiny. That visibility can amplify routine travel issues into wider discussions about professionalism and accountability.

At the same time, agency statements are now expected to do more than simply deny rumors. Fans and general readers look for timelines, operational details, and explanations that can be checked against public information. In this case, BigHit Music’s response separated acknowledged inconvenience from allegations it says were unsupported.

For now, the agency’s position is clear: CORTIS was late to the airport and passengers may have been inconvenienced, but BigHit Music denies that the group intentionally delayed a flight, received improper special treatment, blocked passengers, or changed clothes in a way that obstructed others. The controversy is likely to remain a reminder that K-pop airport etiquette is no longer a side issue but part of how idol teams are judged in real time.