NewsJeju Air disaster: Worst South Korean crash in 30 years

Jeju Air disaster: Worst South Korean crash in 30 years

Tragedy struck when a Boeing 737-800 owned by Jeju Air crashed, resulting in the deaths of 151 people. The aircraft went down at Muan Airport in southwestern South Korea. The disaster of flight 2216 marks the most severe aviation accident involving South Korean airlines.

A Jeju Air plane sped down the runway, apparently with its landing gear retracted, and collided head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, bursting into flames.
A Jeju Air plane sped down the runway, apparently with its landing gear retracted, and collided head-on with a concrete wall on the outskirts of the facility, bursting into flames.
Images source: © Getty Images | NurPhoto
Przemysław Ciszak

According to South Korea's Ministry of Transport, the Muan Airport crash is the most tragic aviation accident involving South Korean airlines in almost thirty years.

As Reuters reported, there were 181 people on board the plane. According to the latest data, the number of casualties has already exceeded 177.

What we know about Jeju Air

The aircraft belonged to the South Korean airline Jeju Air. It is the first and largest low-cost carrier in South Korea. It is also a founding member of the Value Alliance, which brings together low-cost airlines.

The British consulting firm Skytrax awarded Jeju Air three stars (on a five-point scale). In 2024, Jeju Air was recognized as number one in the low-cost airline category in the National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI). According to data from July 2024, Jeju Air transported about 4.33 million international passengers in the first half of the year.

The airline was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Jeju. They have a fleet of 42 aircraft. According to airline information from 2024, their fleet consists solely of aircraft manufactured by the American company Boeing.

The main fleet comprises medium-range aircraft, Boeing 737-800. The plane that crashed at Muan Airport, according to the Korean Ministry of Transport, was manufactured in 2009.

Two aviation accidents recorded by Jeju Air

According to information from Reuters, since the founding of Jeju Air, there have been two aviation accidents, including the tragic flight 2216 on December 29, 2024.

The previous accident occurred in 2007 during landing at Gimhae Airport in Busan, South Korea. There were no fatalities then (there were 74 passengers and 5 crew members on board). Only six passengers sustained minor injuries.

Investigators are currently analyzing possible causes of the December 29, 2024, crash, including bird involvement and weather conditions. The Yonhap News Agency cited airport information suggesting a bird strike could have caused a landing gear failure.

Related content
© Daily Wrap
·About us
·Terms of service
·Contact us
·Privacy policy
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.