South Korea Orders Nationwide Safety Audit of Boeing 737-800 Fleet
South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) has launched a comprehensive safety audit of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft registered in the country, including cargo variants, following the December 29, 2024, crash of a Jeju Air flight at Muan Airport.
The ministry announced that the inspections, which began on December 30 and are set to conclude by January 3, 2025, aim to ensure compliance with operational, inspection, and maintenance regulations. A total of 101 aircraft will be audited, including 39 operated by Jeju Air, 27 by t’way Air, 19 by Jin Air, 10 by Eastar Jet, four by Air Incheon, and two by Korean Air.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, 95 of these aircraft are passenger variants, with the remaining six comprising freighters. The audit excludes the six military P-8 Poseidons based on the Boeing 737-800(ER) and the 737-8 MAX variant, which operates with multiple South Korean carriers.
The ministry also announced inspections of Korean airports to verify whether localizer antennas comply with international safety standards. The decision follows the crash of Jeju Air’s HL8088 (msn 37541), which suffered a gear-up landing and collided with a concrete wall housing a localizer antenna, bursting into flames. Of the 181 passengers on board, only two survived.
This incident underscores the critical importance of adherence to aviation safety standards and the need for stringent oversight to prevent future tragedies.
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com