S Korea orders air safety probe after deadly plane crash
South Korea’s acting leader has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operations, a day after 179 people were killed in the deadliest plane crash on its soil.
The Jeju Air plane burst into flames as it crash-landed in South Korea’s Muan International Airport, killing everyone onboard save for two victims.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok has asked investigators into the incident to promptly disclose their findings to bereaved families.
His request also comes as another Jeju Air flight turned back to Seoul shortly after takeoff on Monday, due to an unidentified landing-gear issue.
On Monday, the Jeju Air plane departed from Gimpo International Airport at 06:35 local time (21:35 GMT Sunday) and returned less than an hour later after realising a mechanical defect caused by the landing-gear issue, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
Landing gear refers to the set of wheels and other parts of the plane which supports the plane during takeoff, taxiing and landing.
The aircraft that turned back was a Boeing B737-800, the same model as the one involved in the disaster on Sunday.
Thirty-nine of the 41 aircrafts in Jeju Air’s fleet are of this model.
After Sunday’s deadly crash, Boeing had said it was in touch with Jeju Air and that it stood “ready to support them”.
The 179 passengers on flight 7C2216 were aged between three and 78 years old, although most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s, according to Yonhap news agency reported. Two Thai nationals are among the dead and the rest are believed to be South Korean, authorities have said.
On Sunday, the ill-fated plane had skidded off the runway after touching down and crashed into a wall shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
A South Korean transport official had said that the plane had been attempting to land but was forced to hold off after air traffic control gave a bird strike warning – an alert about the risk of a collision with birds.
Air traffic command later gave permission for the plane to land from the opposite direction, the official said.
The airline’s bosses bowed deeply as they gave a public apology at a press conference on Sunday.
“We deeply apologise to all those affected by the incident. We will make every effort to resolve the situation,” the firm said in a statement.
Jeju Air shares were trading around 8% lower in Seoul on Monday.
The accident is a national tragedy for South Korea, which has been embroiled in political turmoil after parliament voted to impech President Yoon Suk Yeol and his temporary successor Han Duck-soo.
Acting President Choi, who stepped into the interim role only on Friday, said he is “heartbroken” by the accident.
“To the honorable citizens of our nation, as an acting president, my heart aches as we face this unforeseen tragedy amid recent economic hardships,” he said.