[Video] Did the 800~900m Short Muan Airport Runway Affect the Accident?

Runway 2.8km... 800~900m Shorter Than Other Airports

On the morning of the 29th, various possibilities are being discussed regarding the cause of the Jeju Air flight 7C2216 accident, which made a belly landing at Jeonnam Muan International Airport. Among these, the unusually short runway length of Muan Airport is also being mentioned.

Muan International Airport in Jeonnam, where the Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand crashed causing multiple casualties, is considered one of the airports with a relatively short runway. Currently, a project to extend the runway by 360 meters is underway.

An aircraft carrying 175 passengers crashed while landing at Muan Airport. Yonhap News

The runway length of Muan Airport is about 2.8 km, which is shorter than Incheon International Airport (3.7 km) and Gimpo International Airport (3.6 km). This means that in emergency situations like this accident, where the landing gear did not deploy, the runway may not be sufficient for landing.

The main runways of regional hub airports are generally longer than Muan International Airport’s runway. Seoul Gimpo International Airport’s Runway 1 is 3,200 m and Runway 2 is 3,600 m, Busan Gimhae International Airport’s Runway 1 is 3,200 m, and Jeju International Airport is 3,180 m. In comparison, Daegu International Airport (2,744?2,755 m) and Cheongju International Airport (2,744 m) have relatively short runways along with Muan International Airport.

The Muan International Airport runway extension project was included in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s basic plan in 2021, and a budget of 40.1 billion KRW has been secured with construction currently in progress. The main goal is to increase the existing 2,800 m runway by 360 m to 3,160 m by 2025, with a total project cost of 49.2 billion KRW.

For the existing runway at Muan Airport, aircraft capable of operating long-haul routes to the US and Europe find it difficult to take off and land.

An aircraft carrying 175 passengers crashed while landing at Muan Airport. Yonhap News

However, in the case of the aircraft model involved in this accident (Boeing 737-800), it is known that landing is possible with a runway length of about 1,800 m, even considering variables such as payload and landing conditions. The accident aircraft is a 737-8AS with 189 seats, manufactured in August 2009. The aircraft is relatively new with an age of 15 years. Therefore, there is also an analysis that the possibility of the accident being caused by aircraft aging is low.

Meanwhile, Muan International Airport opened in 2007, replacing the closed Mokpo Airport and taking over international routes from Gwangju Airport. It is currently the only international hub airport in the Honam region.