South Korean authorities will check all Boeing 737-800s in the country after the plane crashed at Muan International Airport, the republic’s transport ministry said.
On Sunday, the Boeing 737-800 flight 7C 2216 of Jeju Air heading from Bangkok to Muan in South Korea with 181 people on board overrun the runway while landing and crashed into a fence. Just two people survived, 179 were killed in the crash.
The ministry said at a briefing that it would conduct a special inspection of Boeing 737-800 aircraft belonging to all local airlines to “analyze the maintenance system in detail.”
“We will closely examine aspects such as the aircraft’s operation level, inspection records, and maintenance before and after flights to ensure that all relevant regulations are followed,” the ministry said, as quoted by the Yonhap agency.
In South Korea, according to the Aviation Technology Information System (ATIS), a total of 101 737-800 aircraft are used by various airlines, mostly by low-cost carriers. Among them, Jeju Air, whose plane crashed, operates 39 aircraft, T’way Air operates 27, Jin Air operates 19, Eastar Jet operates 10, Air Incheon operates four, and Korean Air operates two.
On the morning of December 30, another Jeju Air plane experienced landing gear problems and was able to return to its departure airport. The plane that crashed in Muan had the same issue.
