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As it happenedended

South Korea plane crash: Jeju Air cuts flights to ‘repair trust’ as outrage grows over airport wall

Jeju Air’s passenger plane smashed into a concrete wall after an emergency landing at Muan international airport in South Korea

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar,Barney Davis
Tuesday 31 December 2024 17:32 GMT
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Moment Jeju Air plane skids along South Korea runway before crash

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Jeju Air's chief executive said the airline will reduce its winter air traffic by up to 15 per cent and aim to secure trust following the death of 179 people in the plane crash.

All 175 passengers and four of the six crew were killed when the Boeing 737-800 belly-landed and skidded off the end of the runway at Muan International Airport on Sunday, erupting in a fireball as it slammed into an embankment.

South Korean officials were joined by a US probe team and officials from Boeing as they ramped up the investigation on Tuesday into the cause of its deadliest domestic air accident as police scrambled to identify victims.

Officials have also faced pointed questions about design features at the airport, particularly a large dirt-and-concrete embankment near the end of the runway used to support navigation equipment.

Experts said it seemed unlikely a bird strike would have been the sole cause of the landing gear malfunctioning.

Meanwhile, families of the victims have been camping out at the airport as they demand answers.

South Korea plane crash: Everything we know so far

South Korea plane crash: All we know so far

Footage shows Boeing 737-800 skidding along runway at Muan airport before hitting wall and catching fire

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar31 December 2024 13:00

Family members of South Korea plane crash victims call for help

South Korea plane crash victims’ families plead for help recovering loved ones

Bereaved families of the deadly plane crash in South Korea that killed 179 people have urged officials to recover the bodies of their loved ones. The Boeing 737-800, operated by Jeju Air, skidded off a runway at Muan International Airport and burst into flames after colliding with a fence. Only two people survived of the 181 aboard. It is the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades. Park Han Shin, who lost a family member in the crash, represents the victims’ families. At a press conference in Muan on Monday, 30 December, he asked the government to send more experts to help recover the victims’ remains.

Tom Watling31 December 2024 13:29

South Korea plane crash is the deadliest in a year marked by several fatal aviation accidents

South Korea plane crash is the deadliest in a year marked by several fatal aviation accidents

South Korea’s worst aviation disaster in decades also was the year’s deadliest plane crash worldwide, and time is running out on 2024

Tom Watling31 December 2024 14:02

2024 was deadliest year for commercial aviation since 2018

Tom Watling31 December 2024 14:45

Anger as families await victims’ remains after South Korea plane crash

Anger as families await victims’ remains after South Korea plane crash

Black box retrieved but families are told bodies of victims may never be found

Tom Watling31 December 2024 15:31

South Korea struggles to determine cause of plane crash that killed 179 people

South Korea struggles to determine cause of plane crash that killed 179 people

South Korean officials are struggling to determine what caused a deadly plane crash that killed nearly 180 people on board, with the nation saddened, shocked and ashamed over the country’s worst aviation disaster in decades

Tom Watling31 December 2024 16:32

Moment Jeju Air plane skids along South Korea runway before crash

Jeju Air: Moment South Korea plane skids along runway before fiery crash

A Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 people skidded down the runway at Muan International Airport in South Korea on Sunday, December 29, before crashing. Yonhap news agency, citing firefighting authorities reported that, except for the two rescued, all the missing passengers are presumed dead and search efforts have now shifted to recovering the bodies. The aircraft appeared to land without its landing gear deployed as it touched down on the tarmac, skidding and veering off the runway before slamming into a wall and bursting into flames. Jeju Air flight 7C2216, arriving from the Thai capital of Bangkok, was landing shortly after 9am (0000 GMT) at the airport in the country’s south, South Korea’s transport ministry said.

Tom Watling31 December 2024 17:32

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