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South Korea has extended the closure of the airport where a Jeju Air plane crashed last month until January 19.
A Boeing 737-800 ran off the runway and caught fire after crashing into an embankment at Muan Airport, killing all but two of the 181 people on board.
The embankment housed a “localizer” guidance system for landing, and South Korea intends to upgrade these structures at its airports this year.
The Ministry of Transport, which carried out the inspection security conditions for airlines and airports since the accident in Muan, announced on Monday the decision to change the “locator” structure.
“The upgrade was deemed necessary, including the localizer and its foundations for a total of nine facilities at seven airports, including the Muan airport,” the ministry said, adding that by the end of January, they will finalize plans for adapting the localizer with the goal of “completing the upgrade this year.” .
The Ministry said seven airports, including Muanhave concrete or steel embankments or foundations that need to be replaced.
Korean officials have faced questions about Muan Airport’s design features, particularly a large concrete embankment near the end of the runway that was used to support navigation equipment that the plane crashed into.
The government completed an inspection of six domestic airlines that use Boeing 737-800s and found violations by some operators, including exceeding pre- and post-flight inspection deadlines and failing to follow procedures for handling aircraft malfunctions or passenger boarding problems.
The accident prompted the government to order emergency inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by domestic carriers, with a focus on the landing gear, which appeared to have lost its flow Jeju Air tragedy.
Aauthorities banned Jeju Air CEO to leave the country. “The investigation team banned the travel of two people, including Jeju Air CEO Kim E Bae,” police said.
It was reported over the weekend that the Jeju Air plane’s black boxes stopped recording four minutes before it crashed into a concrete structure at the end of the runway.