South Korea to adapt airports after Jeju crash
Following the Jeju Air crash in December that claimed 179 lives, South Korea has announced plans to overhaul concrete barriers used for navigation at seven airports.
The changes are part of a broader initiative to improve runway safety in the aftermath of the country’s deadliest aviation disaster.
The crash involved a Jeju Air flight returning from Thailand after Christmas. The aircraft attempted an emergency landing at Muan Airport, but collided with a concrete barrier at the runway’s end and exploded. The accident has prompted a comprehensive review of all South Korean airports.
Although the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation, aviation safety experts believe the high death toll could have been mitigated if the barrier had been designed differently. The structure houses a navigation aid – the localiser.
Inspectors have pinpointed nine of these systems as needing urgent modifications, including those at Muan and Jeju International Airport, the country’s second busiest.
Authorities are now considering two potential solutions: replacing the concrete bases with lighter materials or relocating the systems underground.
Transport Minister Park Sang-woo said the move would prioritise “actions requiring immediate attention”, adding: “We plan to establish measures for bird strike prevention improvement and an aviation safety innovation plan through further investigations and reviews.”
