News
South Korea to tighten LCC safety oversight
January 24th 2025
South Korea’s government is to strengthen its oversight of the country’s LCCs and will impose strict penalties on airlines failing to meet enhanced operational safety standards. Read More » The revised regulations are being introduced following the fatal crash of a Jeju Air aircraft last December 29 that killed 179 passengers and crew. South Korea’s transport minister, Park Sang-woo met with the CEOs of nine domestic carriers, including Jeju Air, T'way Air, Eastar Jet, and Jin Air, to outline the new regulations. They include stricter criteria for calculating the skill levels of maintenance personnel, enhanced vetting processes for new aircraft acquisitions and closer scrutiny of applications for new routes. If an airline is operating with substandard safety standards, the government will impose tougher penalties on the carrier. Chief among them will be the suspension of operational certificates. Airlines with frequent safety incidents or breaches of regulatory rules will be subject to public disclosure of safety-related violations. The Korea Times reports the carriers have agreed to additional maintenance time by reducing aircraft utilization rates. Jeju Air will cut back its average aircraft operating hours from 14 hours a day to 12.8 hours and increase its maintenance workforce from 309 to 350 personnel by year-end.
