South Korea’s acting president has ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire aviation operations, a day after 179 people were killed in the deadliest plane crash on its soil.
A Jeju Air plane caught fire during an emergency landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea, killing all but two victims on board.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok asked investigators into the incident to immediately disclose their findings to the bereaved families.
His request also comes as another Jeju Airlines flight returned to Seoul shortly after takeoff on Monday, due to an unknown landing gear problem.
On Monday, the Jeju Air plane left Gimpo International Airport at 06:35 local time (21:35 GMT on Sunday) and returned less than an hour later after noticing a mechanical defect caused by a problem with the landing gear, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. I mentioned.
The term landing gear refers to the assembly of wheels and other parts of an aircraft that supports the aircraft during take-off, taxiing, and landing.
The plane that turned back was a Boeing B737-800, the same model as the plane that was involved in the disaster on Sunday.
Thirty-nine of the 41 aircraft in Jeju Airlines’ fleet are of this type.
After Sunday’s fatal accident, Boeing said it was in contact with Jeju Air and was “ready to support them.”
Yonhap News Agency reported that the ages of the 179 passengers on board Flight 7C2216 ranged from three to 78 years old, although most were in their 40s, 50s and 60s. Authorities said two Thai citizens were among the dead and the rest were believed to be from South Korea.
On Sunday, the ill-fated plane skidded off the runway after landing and collided with a wall shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
A South Korean transport official said the plane was trying to land but was forced to stop after air traffic control issued a bird strike warning – an alert about the risk of colliding with birds.
The Air Mobility Command later gave permission for the plane to land from the opposite direction, the official said.
Airline bosses bowed heavily as they made a public apology at a press conference on Sunday.
The company said in a statement: “We deeply apologize to everyone affected by the incident. We will do our best to resolve the situation.”
Shares of Jeju Air were trading down about 8% in Seoul on Monday.
The incident represents a national tragedy for South Korea, which is witnessing political unrest after Parliament voted in favor of the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yul and his temporary successor, Han Dak-soo.
Acting President Choi, who only took office on Friday, said he was “deeply saddened” by the incident.
“To the honorable citizens of our nation, as acting President, my heart aches as we face this unexpected tragedy amidst recent economic difficulties,” he said.
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