By Hyunsu Yim
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s transport ministry stated on Wednesday it would take away the concrete embankment put in at Muan International Airport following final month’s Jeju Air crash, the nation’s deadliest aviation catastrophe.
While investigators are nonetheless wanting into what triggered the crash of Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, together with reported chook strikes, specialists stated the massive berm that supported the navigation antennas on the finish of the runway seemingly made the catastrophe extra lethal than it’d in any other case have been.
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In among the first widespread reforms introduced for the reason that crash, authorities stated they’ll make new foundations or different changes to comparable antennas at seven airports, together with Muan International Airport and Jeju – one among South Korea’s busiest – which might be under floor stage or straightforward to succeed in. break.
The resolution got here after inspecting amenities that home the antennas that information landings at airports throughout the nation, generally known as Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), or “localizers.”
“Muan International Airport plans to utterly take away the present concrete and reinstall the tracker in a fragile construction,” the ministry stated in an announcement.
The December 29 crash killed 179 folks, whereas solely two crew members sitting at the back of the Boeing 737-800 airplane survived.
Video footage confirmed the passenger airplane crashing into the construction and exploding after touchdown at excessive velocity with out gear down and sliding over the top of the runway.
The runway’s design has additionally been criticized for not assembly security requirements, prompting authorities to increase post-runway security zones freed from main obstacles.
The transport ministry stated it would guarantee a 240 meter (787 foot) lengthy runway security space in any respect airports to satisfy all related rules. The space of Muan Airport was about 200 meters lengthy earlier than the accident.
Police stated individually that Son Chang-wan, the previous chairman of the state-run Korea Airports Corporation who was in cost when the Muan airport facility was renovated, was discovered useless in his house Tuesday of an obvious suicide .
The son was not below investigation over the airplane crash and had not been summoned for questioning about it, a police official stated.
The closure of Muan Airport has been prolonged till April 18, the transport ministry stated on Saturday.
(Reporting by Hyunsu Yim; Editing by Jamie Freed)
