Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, "There Were No Abnormal Signs in the Aircraft" (Comprehensive)

"15 Years of Airplane Usage, No Accident History"

Kim I-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, is giving a briefing on the Muan International Airport passenger plane disaster at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the 29th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Kim Eebae, CEO of Jeju Air, stated on the 29th regarding the aircraft crash accident at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do, "There were no abnormal signs in the aircraft."

At a briefing held at 2 p.m. at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Kim said, "The age of the accident aircraft (years of use) was 15 years with no accident history," and added, "Maintenance has been carried out according to the regular program."

Kim also said, "At this point, it is difficult to estimate the cause of the accident, and we must wait for the official investigation and announcement from the relevant government agencies," and added, "We will do our best with the government to identify the cause of the accident."

According to the Fire Agency, at around 9:03 a.m. that day, a report was received that Jeju Air flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, crashed while attempting to land on the runway at Muan International Airport. The aircraft model was a B737-800, carrying 181 people including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. The fire authorities started searching from the rear of the aircraft and have rescued 2 people so far, with the death toll counted at 96.

Joo Jongwan, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said at a government briefing held at the Sejong Government Complex that "Currently, accident recovery is the top priority," and "After completing the recovery, the cause will be investigated through the collection of the black box, etc." Possible causes such as landing gear malfunction and bird strike have been mentioned, but it is still necessary to conduct a clear investigation.

Kim also said, "We will do our best to support the bereaved families." He added, "Our staff are in contact with the families of the passengers," and expressed, "Once again, I offer my deepest apologies to those who lost their lives and their families due to the accident." However, specific support plans for the bereaved families have not yet been disclosed.

Jeju Air announced on its website that "We are currently operating under a company-wide emergency response system," and "We have formed a support team for the bereaved families and will provide all necessary assistance to the victims and their families without omission."

Jeju Air held an emergency meeting on the morning of the same day at the Aviation Support Center office in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, chaired by CEO Kim. It was reported that all executives and team leaders were summoned.