South Korea extends closure of airport where Jeju Air plane crashed

SEOUL – The South Korean authorities have extended the closure of a south-western airport where a

Jeju Air plane crashed and killed 179 people on board

, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on Jan 6.

The authorities are still probing the cause of the accident, which took place on Dec 29 when Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand carrying 181 people on board belly-landed in a South Korean airport and slammed into a concrete barrier in a fireball. Two crew members were rescued.

The closure of Muan International Airport has been extended until Jan 14, the ministry said in a statement to AFP on Jan 6.

The ministry did not specify the reason, but in a briefing last week, Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan said that “if the investigation gets longer, the period (of closure) is susceptible to change”.

Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong said the bodies of the 179 people killed would all be returned to the families on Jan 6.

“Today, the process of handing over the victims to families is expected to be completed,” he told a government meeting on Jan 6.

The return will allow families to hold funerals for their loved ones after a week-long wait.

South Korean and US investigators,

including from the aircraft’s manufacturer Boeing, have been combing the crash site in Muan since the disaster.

The exact cause of the Boeing 737-800 crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the runway barrier as possible issues.

The pilot had warned of a bird strike before pulling out of a first landing, and then crashing on a second attempt when the landing gear did not emerge.

The authorities have carried out search-and-seizure operations at Muan airport, a regional aviation office in the south-western city and Jeju Air’s office in the capital Seoul, police said.

The plane was largely carrying South Korean holidaymakers back from year-end trips to Bangkok, except for two Thai passengers.

The incident prompted a national outpouring of mourning, with memorials set up across the country. AFP