Airlines responsible for deadly aviation accidents to be stripped of air traffic rights for a year
The South Korean government on Wednesday announced a series of air safety measures, including strict penalties for fatal accidents and new rules targeting potentially hazardous conditions at airports — factors believed to have attributed to the deadly Jeju Air crash landing in December that killed 179 of the 181 onboard.
Strict punitive actions for airlines responsible for deadly aviation accidents are part of the plans announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Such airlines would in principle not be allocated air traffic rights by local authorities for a year, and would only be reinstated for domestic operation upon passing a safety review to take place after a one-year ban.
Airlines with poor air safety indexes will be subject to a government review and possible ban on adding new air routes to their local operation.
Revamping airport infrastructure, addressing bird strike issues and improving aircraft maintenance are other measures that have also been announced by the ministry. A key change is in the possibly hazardous structure of localizers — a component of the Instrument Landing System — at some airports, specifically those placed on berms that may or may not have encasing concrete structures.
The tragedy of the Jeju Air Flight 2216 at Muan International Airport involved the aircraft bursting into flames after ramming into a concrete structure inside an earthen berm for localizers, which is suspected to have been behind the high casualty rate.
Localizers at all airports are now to be placed on flat ground, a measure that will be enforced this year, with the metal structures of the localizers mandated to be made of relatively fragile steel frames that break easily in the case of a plane crash.
The relatively short runway at the airport was another factor suspected to have played a part in the accident, and the ministry is mandating all domestic airports to secure at least 240 meters of the runway end safety area. Muan Airport and Gimhae International Airport, serving Busan, will extend their respective runway end safety areas in the second half of this year, while Wonju (Heongseong) Airport in Gangwon Province and Yeosu Airport in South Jeolla Province are to confirm their extension plans by October.
Airports that cannot physically extend their runways, due to proximity to streams or roads, will install an engineered materials arrestor system, which uses a specially installed surface to absorb the kinetic energy of an aircraft to slow it down.
Bird strike prevention measures, plane maintenance to be improved
Based on the suspicion that a bird strike may have caused engine failure in the Jeju Air tragedy, Muan International is set to operate a radar to detect approaching birds. Other airports including Incheon Airport, Gimpo International Airport, serving Seoul, and Jeju International Airport are also to adopt this system next year.
The government authorized use of bird control drones at eight airports across the country for both commercial and military use. The minimum bird monitoring personnel will be expanded from two per airport to four, and Muan in particular will gradually expand to 12.
Current law bans the installation of facilities near airports that attract birds, such as the installation of orchards within a 3-kilometer radius and food disposal sites within 8 kilometers. The government is pushing for a law revision that will place a ban on such facilities within a 13-kilometer radius of all airports.
The government will also increase mandated maintenance hours for each aircraft. Maintenance time for the Boeing B737 — the plane in the Jeju Air crash — and Airbus A320 family planes will be increased by between 7.1 percent and 28 percent by October, with the new standards to be applied for other types of aircraft as well, starting from the end of this year.
Standard for a skilled technician will be changed from the current minimum of two years of experience to having at least three years of experience. The Aviation Safety Act mandates an inspection by a skilled technician, but there have been complaints that the current standard is too lax.
Other measures include better management of pilot fatigue issues and the training process of flight attendants, for the flight crew to better respond to emergencies. The government's monitoring of the airlines will also be increased.
The ministry has applied for a supplementary budget of 250 billion won ($175 million) related to the refurbishment of airport facilities and bird strike prevention measures.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
