The Jeju Air passenger plane where the accident occurred on the 29th was a Boeing 737-800 model, which is considered a ‘representative short-distance flight’, and it was found that 101 of the domestic airlines are operating this aircraft. It is widely used worldwide for short-distance flights of less than 6 hours, and as accidents occur on aircraft that were believed to be relatively safe, anxiety among passengers is growing. Some are pointing out that Jeju Air may have mismanaged the aircraft. Jeju Air released a statement saying, “Regardless of the cause of the accident, we fully acknowledge responsibility.”
According to Aviation Technology Information System statistics, domestic airlines own a total of 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Jeju Air owns the most with 39, followed by T’way Air with 27, Jin Air with 19, Eastar Jet with 10, Air Incheon with 4, and Korean Air with 2.
The accident aircraft was manufactured in September 2009. It wasn’t old, about 15 years old (airplane age). Jeju Air introduced and operated used aircraft on a lease basis in February 2017. However, the Boeing 737-800, which began production in 1997, is currently discontinued, so global airlines were gradually switching to the latest model.
Jeju Air was also in the process of converting its existing Boeing 737-800 model to the next-generation Boeing 737-8 model. In November 2018, a contract was signed with Boeing to purchase 50 Boeing 737-8 aircraft (40 confirmed, 10 optional). Jeju Air already introduced two Boeing 737-8s last year.
The aviation industry evaluates the Boeing 737-800 as a very stable aircraft, but this does not mean that there have been no major accidents. In 2022, a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane belonging to China Eastern Airlines carrying 132 people crashed vertically from an altitude of 8,000 meters, killing all on board. The cause of the accident was presumed to be damage to the aircraft, but it has not yet been clearly revealed. In 2020, an Air India Boeing 737-800 crashed in the Indian state of Kerala due to pilot error, killing 21 people.
Some point out that Jeju Air may have been negligent in maintaining its aircraft. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Status of fines imposed on national companies under the Aviation Safety Act’, the fines paid by Jeju Air from 2019 to August of this year amounted to 3.738 billion won. Among domestic airlines, Jeju Air paid the largest amount.
There were also claims that there were prior signs. It was later revealed on this day that a passenger who took Jeju Air flight 7C2216 on the 27th, two days before the accident, said, “I was anxious because the engine turned off several times, so I spoke to the flight attendant.” Prior to this, in 2022, another incident was pointed out where a Jeju Air passenger plane returned to Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan due to an engine accident due to a bird strike.
An aviation industry official said, “The Boeing 737-800 has been widely used by global airlines for a long time, so it is highly likely that it is not a problem with the model itself.” He added, “Nevertheless, each airline operating the model is expected to conduct special inspections on the aircraft. “He said.
It is also noteworthy that the accident occurred less than a month after Jeju Air suspended and resumed flights between Muan and Bangkok. This means that an unexpected situation may have occurred in a state in which the person was less acclimatized, making the situation worse. Jeju Air resumed international flight operations between Muan, Jeollanam-do and Bangkok, Thailand from the 8th. A major disaster occurred just 21 days into the operation.
Kim Lee-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, said at an emergency press conference held at a hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, “We are continuously maintaining the aircraft according to the maintenance program, and there were no signs of anything wrong with this (accident) aircraft.” When asked about the connection with the ‘2022 Kansai Airport Incident’, CEO Kim said, “It has nothing to do with that.”
Reporter Jaehee Han [email protected]
Reporter Kim Jae-hyung [email protected]
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