January 2, 2025
SEOUL – Jeju Air’s Boeing 737-800 that clashed at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla Province on Sunday, claiming 179 lives, had experienced a prior incident in 2021, according to authorities on Tuesday.
Korea Airports Corp. confirmed that the same aircraft, registered as HL8088 in the Aircraft Technical Information System, had a history of its tail being struck on the runway while taking off from Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport in February 2021. The accident resulted in structural damage to the plane, the state-owned company added.
The incident prompted the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to impose a fine of 2.2 billion won ($1.5 million) on Jeju Air for violating safety regulations. The Transport Ministry determined that Jeju Air had failed to thoroughly inspect and repair the damage before continuing operations.
This revelation has sparked criticism over Jeju Air’s transparency, as it had earlier claimed “no prior incident” involving the same aircraft.
During a press briefing held in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on Sunday, Jeju Air CEO Kim E-bae stressed that “there had been no prior accident history whatsoever with this aircraft.”
As criticism grew, Jeju Air later explained that “the incident from three years ago was minor and therefore classified as an ‘event’ rather than an ‘accident’ under aviation law, which is why it was not considered part of the aircraft’s accident history.” It added, “We fully paid the fine, completed all inspections and repairs and resumed normal operations in compliance with regulations.”
The Jeju Air plane crashed Sunday at Muan International Airport, after receiving a bird strike warning from the control tower. The plane appeared to be attempting a belly landing without landing gear before colliding with a concrete embankment and becoming engulfed in fire. While it is believed that all three landing gear systems had failed to operate properly, the exact cause of the crash remains under investigation.