The government said Thursday it will tighten regulations for local low budget carriers after a series of incidents indicating safety breaches.

“The government will monitor how well they comply with internal safety aviation guidelines, while also encouraging them to invest more in maintenance facilities and experts by assessing their efforts,” the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a release. 


The measure comes as critics are voicing concern about the safety of budget airplanes.

Last month, Jeju Air and Jin Air were slapped with 600 million won ($524,000) in fines each for breaching flight safety regulations. A copilot with Eastar Jet also collapsed and died just before a planned flight.

South Korea’s low-cost airline market has grown since 2005 when the first budget carrier started its service.

Currently, five companies -- Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Busan, Eastar Jet, Tway Air Co. and Air Incheon -- are in operation.

Their number of passenger airplanes reached 84 as of last year, accounting for 25.6 percent of the country’s total fleet.

Passengers who used budget carriers made up 55 percent of total passengers last year, with a growth rate of 24 percent.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)