Kim I-bae, the CEO of Jeju Air, held the fourth briefing on the afternoon of the 31st at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and stated, "We will reduce the number of flights during the winter season by 10 to 15% until March next year to enhance safety."
Kim noted that he is preparing emergency support funds separately from compensation for bereaved families who are currently facing difficulties in their livelihoods. He mentioned, "Funerals will begin today, and to support necessary expenses and the living of bereaved families, we are preparing emergency assistance with heartfelt condolences," adding, "Moreover, we are discussing with domestic and foreign insurance companies for the compensation process."
He emphasized the need to devise additional safety measures. Kim stated, "We will enhance aircraft inspections and increase maintenance personnel to ensure thorough safety measures," and added, "We will strengthen emergency monitoring and pay close attention to the emotional management of aviation personnel."
He also mentioned plans to reduce the number of flights during the winter season by about 10 to 15% to strengthen safety. He explained, "This decision was made to secure more maintenance capacity, not because there were excessive operations in the past," and continued, "There are currently booked routes, and each airline has designated paths, so we will selectively reduce operations to minimize passenger inconvenience."
He also noted that there have been significant results in improving the maintenance institutional sector. According to the recent five-year data on 'Administrative sanctions and penalty surcharges imposed by airline', Jeju Air was shown to have received the most administrative sanctions among domestic airlines, as well as the highest amount in penalty surcharges.
Kim said, "While Jeju Air had shortcomings in the past, we have not received significant administrative sanctions from last year to this year," noting, "Compared to other airlines, we have clearly improved, and we have focused our efforts on safety."
On that day, Kim also posted a motivational message for employees through the first announcement since the incident. He added that support for psychological treatment for employees will be provided in the future. Kim stated, "The most concerning aspect is the employees dispatched to the scene, as we lack personnel and everyone is in a difficult situation," and further expressed, "Especially since a colleague was involved in the accident, I feel sorrow."