The boss of Jeju Air said that no safety issues were flagged in pre-flight checks before one of its planes crashed at South Korea’s Muan International Airport.
While 179 passengers aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline Jeju Air died in Sunday’s crash, the cause is still unclear.
Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae said at a news conference in Seoul on Dec. 31 that no issues were identified when the plane was inspected on the day of the flight, according to reports by local South Korean media and the BBC.
E-bae also said the company will cut operations by 10–15 percent until March 2025.
Regarding compensation for families, he said that the company is “in detailed discussions with both domestic and international insurers to handle the settlement process.”
A seven-day national mourning has been declared until Jan. 4.
All 175 passengers and four of the flight’s crew members were killed when the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 made an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in the southwest of the country before skidding off the runway and exploding when it hit a perimeter wall.
Two crew members were pulled out alive and their recollections of the moments leading up to the crash could prove pivotal to the investigation.
The destruction of the plane was South Korea’s deadliest aviation disaster since 1997, when 228 people died in a Korean Airlines crash in Guam.
The South Korean government has launched safety inspections on all the 101 Boeing 737-800s in the country, which are due to wrap up by Jan. 3.
Investigation Process
Authorities have identified 175 bodies and are conducting DNA tests to identify the five remaining.Bereaved families said that officials told them that the bodies were so badly damaged that officials needed time before returning them to relatives.
Officials have faced questions about bird strikes, control systems, pilot actions, airport design features, and the large concrete embankment near the end of the runway, which the plane hit.
Muan International Airport has been ordered to stay closed through Jan. 1, while the rest of the country’s airports, including the main international airport at Incheon, are operating as normal.
“Even before the final results are out, we ask that officials transparently disclose the accident investigation process and promptly inform the bereaved families,” Choi said on Monday.
Political Strife
The crash comes as South Korea faces serious political strife.In December, martial law was briefly declared in South Korea by the leader of the People Power Party to allegedly root out North Korean subversion in the country.
Authorities are now investigating if the martial law declaration amounted to insurrection. Yoon was impeached on Dec. 14 and has failed to respond to a summons for questioning.
Insurrection is one of the few charges for which a South Korean president does not have immunity. The arrest warrant for an incumbent president is unprecedented.
