Unlock Editorial Digest for Free
FT editor Roula Khalaf chooses her favorite stories in this weekly newsletter.
South Korea plans to inspect all B737-800 Boeing aircraft operated by domestic airlines after a passenger plane crashed on landing on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s airline operating systems as investigators look into why a twin-engine Boeing 737-800 operated by Jeju Air failed to deploy its landing gear and slid down the runway before hitting a wall. , a fire broke out at Muan International Airport in the south of the country.
Jeju Air said in a briefing that another B737-800 operated by the airline returned to Gimpo Domestic Airport on Monday morning due to a warning message issued by the landing gear. The airline said it later found the landing gear was working fine. Jeju Air’s stock price fell to its lowest level on Monday, falling as much as 16%.
“We want to first conduct special safety inspections on B737-800 Boeing aircraft in operation,” an official from the Ministry of Transport said in a televised briefing on Monday, noting that more than 100 B737-800 aircraft are in operation in South Korea. Airline operations.
“We will check their operating ratios and whether airlines are adhering to safety rules, including scheduled maintenance before and after flights.”
The 737-800 is the “next generation” model of Boeing’s 737 family of single-aisle aircraft, which has been a workhorse for short-haul air travel since its introduction in the 1990s. It is gradually being replaced by the more modern and fuel-efficient 737 Max.
While the cause of the crash remains under investigation, the incident is another setback for the US airline group. It’s been a tough year with safety protocols.
The plane’s flight data and cockpit voice recorder have been recovered but there was some damage to the exterior and they are being checked to see if they are intact for a full analysis, the ministry said.
But it added that the pilot told air traffic control that the plane had suffered a bird strike and made a distress call shortly before the emergency landing.
South Korea is leading the investigation into the cause of the accident, but the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will send an investigation team to South Korea to provide assistance. Boeing Co. and the Federal Aviation Administration are also involved in the investigation.
Most of the victims were Koreans returning from vacation in Thailand.
