South Korea wants to rebuild aviation safety system after Jeju Air crash, fire incidents
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The wreckage of the Jeju Air aircraft that went off the runway and crashed lies at Muan International Airport, on Dec 30, 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL - South Korea aims to rebuild its aviation safety system from scratch, the transport ministry said on Feb 4, launching a committee to improve air travel in the country that suffered two major aviation incidents a month apart.
“In order to restore trust in our country’s aviation safety system, the government will make a determined effort to rebuild the aviation safety system from the ground up,” Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Baek Won-kuk said in a statement from the ministry.
The government must address aviation safety as a top priority, he added.
In the deadliest air disaster ever on South Korean soil
Duck remains were found in both engines of the plane, a preliminary investigation report said, indicating bird strikes occurred before the crash. Air accidents are nearly always caused by a combination of factors, according to experts.
Last week, an Air Busan plane was engulfed in flames
The fire was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear of the plane, Air Busan said.
Investigation into the causes of both incidents are ongoing.
The 10-week committee will include private sector experts and will look at issues including maintenance and aircraft utilisation rates at budget airlines, and airport construction and operation.
In response to the Jeju Air crash, where the plane belly-landed and then ploughed into a concrete embankment supporting navigation equipment past the end of Muan’s runway, the authorities have said they would amend similar structures at seven airports around the country. REUTERS
