South Korea to tighten regulation of low-cost carrier following Jeju Air crash
South Korea plans to enhance its regulation of domestic low-cost carriers and impose strict penalties on those that do not comply with new safety standards, Yonhap News Agency reported.
On January 23, 2025, Park Sang-woo, the Minister of South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), met with the CEOs of nine domestic low-cost carriers, including Jeju Air, T’way Air, Eastar Jet and Jin Air. During the meeting, the minister presented plans for stricter safety standards.
The announcement was made following the tragic Jeju Air crash in December 2024 that claimed 179 of the 181 lives onboard. The Jeju Air Boeing 737-800, traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, suffered a runway excursion during an emergency belly landing at Muan International Airport (MWX) and exploded after colliding with an embankment.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it aims to improve the criteria for calculating the skills of maintenance staff. Currently, anyone with over two years of experience is considered “skilled”, the report continued.
The ministry will also enhance the process for approving new aircraft acquisitions and will implement stricter evaluations for new flight routes.
If an airline is found to have poor safety practices during inspections, the government plans to impose severe penalties, including the suspension of operational licenses, Yonhap News reported. Additionally, airlines with frequent safety issues or regulatory violations will have their safety records made public.
During the meeting, the low-cost carriers announced plans to increase maintenance time by lowering aircraft usage. Jeju Air stated it will cut its average daily operating hours from 14 to 12.8 and will increase its maintenance staff from 309 to 350 by the end of 2025.
The apparent landing gear malfunction of the crashed Boeing B737-800 aircraft has sparked worries that Jeju Air may have focused more on flight operations than on proper maintenance, Yonhap News report continued.
The aircraft involved in the crash had completed 13 flights in the two days leading to the accident.
Recently the ministry announced plans to take down the concrete localizer structure that the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 hit at Muan International Airport.
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The post South Korea to tighten regulation of low-cost carrier following Jeju Air crash appeared first on AeroTime.
South Korea plans to enhance its regulation of domestic low-cost carriers and impose strict penalties on those that…
The post South Korea to tighten regulation of low-cost carrier following Jeju Air crash appeared first on AeroTime.
