Passed the National Assembly Plenary Session
Systematic Management of Facilities Around Runways to Be Strengthened
On April 22, officials from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board investigating the cause of the Jeju Air passenger plane accident at Muan International Airport in Jeonnam are conducting an on-site inspection of the azimuth facility (localizer). Photo by Yonhap News
A bill to amend the Airport Facilities Act, aimed at preventing disasters like the one that occurred at Muan International Airport on December 29 last year, has passed the National Assembly's plenary session. The amendment mandates that navigation safety facilities and similar structures around runways must be made of easily breakable materials, and prohibits the installation of facilities such as concrete mounds.
On August 4, the National Assembly held a plenary session and approved the amendment to the Airport Facilities Act containing these measures.
According to the amendment, the regulations that require objects such as navigation safety facilities installed around runways to be made of easily breakable materials and to have minimum weight and height have been elevated from administrative notices to statutory law, thereby increasing their binding force. Facilities such as concrete mounds, which exacerbated the damage in the Muan Airport disaster, are also expected to no longer be installed.
The materials and location information of objects installed around runways must be provided to airport operators and air carriers. This is to ensure systematic management and improvement of such facilities.
The standards for installing or improving facilities at airports and airfields must now be operated in accordance with international standards under the International Civil Aviation Convention, as stipulated in the Airport Facilities Act.
Airports and airfields above a certain size will also be required to establish a "Basic Plan for Bird Strike Prevention" every five years. In addition, a legal basis has been established for the creation and operation of a "Bird Strike Prevention Committee" to review matters related to the prevention of collisions between aircraft and birds.
Accordingly, airport operators must establish an annual risk management plan for bird strikes at each airport, and, while operating the Bird Strike Prevention Committee, must evaluate whether the risk management plan is being properly implemented.
The amended law allows the state or airport operators to purchase land and buildings at risk of bird strikes through consultation with the owners. In addition, installing bird-attracting facilities around airports will result in a fine of up to 5 million won.
The amended Airport Facilities Act will take effect six months after its promulgation, following deliberation by the Cabinet.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
