Gimpo International Airport, a major gateway to Seoul, has been compromising the safety of users by allowing trainee-operated planes to run on the same runway for passenger jets, a lawmaker said Friday during a parliamentary audit of the airport’s operator Korea Airport Corp.

According to Rep. Lee Noh-geun of the ruling Saenuri Party, the number of flights by trainees surged to 44 in 2013 from 16 in 2010. He added there were several accidents during the same period, including three injuries.

“Other countries like the U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe prohibit or limit the take-off and landing of training planes on the runway used by other passenger jets,” Lee said in a statement.

The trainees are individuals who have yet to pass the exam to become a certified pilot. Their instructors are hired by privately-owned companies.

“As they lack experience in handling emergency situations or understanding the orders from the control tower, the trainees may cause catastrophic collisions,” Lee said, urging the airport operator to come up with preventive measures against runway accidents.

Experts point out that the lax runway management, coupled with the expanding airport traffic, has emerged as a serious problem.

The number of flights through Gimpo International Airport was 5,993 in 2010. But the number more than doubled to 15,190 last year largely due to growing travelers from neighboring Japan and China.

Following the criticism, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is considering establishing a new runway exclusively for training planes, officials said.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)