A Jeju Air passenger plane takes off in Incheon International Airport, Jan. 7. Yonhap
Jeju Air, Korea’s largest budget carrier, will initially cut nearly 1,880 flights in the first quarter, it said Wednesday, a move aimed at enhancing its operational safety following the recent crash of its Boeing 737-800 flight that left 179 people dead.
Jeju Air plans to reduce flights by 1,878 — 838 on domestic routes and 1,040 on international routes — during the winter months through March, the company said in a press release.
The company plans to cut 30 additional flights in the near future, bringing the overall flight reduction to over 1,900 in the first quarter, a company spokesperson said by phone.
The Boeing 737-800 plane, which departed the Thai capital of Bangkok for Muan in southwestern South Korea, was carrying 181 passengers and crew on Dec. 29 when it belly-landed at Muan airport and exploded into flames after hitting an embankment.
Investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and the runway concrete barrier as possible causes of the fatal incident. (Yonhap)