The wreckage of the Jeju Air plane that hit a fixed structure at the end of the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea last Sunday.Credit…Chang W. Lee/The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES | Published January 6, 2025
South Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, heavy with debt and its stock already near record lows, is now facing intense public and government scrutiny.
When Jeju Air’s status as South Korea’s biggest low-cost carrier seemed under threat from the merger of the country’s two biggest airlines last year, the company’s chief executive assured employees that it would “actively respond,” possibly by acquiring smaller rivals.
Now, a week after a crash that killed 179 people on Dec. 29, Jeju Air’s future is clouded by even deeper questions.
South Korean officials on Thursday raided the company’s offices and imposed a travel ban on Kim E-bae, the chief executive, as part of the investigation into the country’s worst air disaster in almost three decades. Passengers are canceling bookings, adding further strain to a balance sheet heavy with debt. And Jeju Air’s stock price, already trading near record lows, has fallen 10 percent since the disaster.
Earlier in the week, Mr. Kim said that Jeju Air would cut 15 percent of its flights until March to “enhance operational stability.”
As investigators look into what caused Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 to crash, the airline has come under intense government and public scrutiny for how it operates. Some of its operational practices are being challenged, including how it flew its planes more frequently than competitors and how it outsourced its maintenance overseas.
At a news conference at Muan International Airport on the day of the crash, Mr. Kim said that maintenance checks had found no problems with the plane, which he said had no history of accidents. In a public statement, Jeju Air said it was “committed” to helping anyone affected by the crash and was “fully cooperating” with investigations into its cause. It did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.
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SOURCE: www.nytimes.com
RELATED: Search at Jeju Air plane crash site comes to an end week after tragic accident that killed 179 people
All 179 bodies have been recovered, with 151 already returned to their families, officials say
A crane lifts the tail section during the salvage operation of the Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft which crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport, in Muan on 3 January 2025 (YONHAP/AFP via Getty Images)
INDEPENDENT | Published January 6, 2025
Search operations at the site of the Jeju Air plane crash concluded on Saturday, one week after the devastating accident claimed 179 lives.
Officials announced that all 179 bodies have been recovered, with 151 already returned to their families along with identified personal belongings.
The remaining 25 bodies, excluding those of a family of three, are expected to be returned to their families on Sunday, South Korean media reported. Officials said further discovery of bodies or personal belongings is unlikely.
The crash occurred when the flight, carrying 181 passengers and crew from Thailand to South Korea, issued a mayday call before belly-landing and slamming into a barrier.
Only two flight attendants survived the incident, which left the aircraft almost entirely destroyed except for the tail section.
The cause of the crash remains unknown, but investigators have pointed to several possibilities, including a bird strike, faulty landing gear, and the plane striking a localiser structure – an antenna array housed in a concrete wall to help pilots maintain the correct approach path – at the end of the runway.
South Korean police, which has also been investigating the incident, raided the offices of Jeju Air and the Muan airport operator earlier this week, securing evidence such as the airport’s localiser and communication records between the control tower and the pilot before the crash.
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SOURCE: www.independent.co.uk
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