On the 29th, a tragedy occurred when a Jeju Air passenger plane carrying 181 passengers collided with the runway's outer wall while landing at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do. Suspicions are rising that Jeju Air may have been negligent in the institutional sector of safety and maintenance. Posts warning about maintenance issues from former and current employees in a private community are also gaining renewed attention. Jeju Air has received the most administrative sanctions from aviation authorities for regulatory violations among airlines.
Following the Muan Airport disaster, the writings of Jeju Air employees posted on the anonymous workplace community Blind are being reexamined. Blind is a platform where employees authenticate their employment status via company email accounts to post related content. One writer posted in February with the title 'Don't ride Jeju Air,' stating, 'Nowadays, the engine malfunction happens all the time. You never know when it might fall. Maintenance, operations, and finances have all gone to hell. Everyone seems to be escaping to other airlines these days.' It also included remarks referring to Kim I-bae, the CEO of Jeju Air.
A year ago, another writer posted with the title 'I am riding a dangerous airplane, Jeju Air.' The post included, 'To save on maintenance costs, the engines have turned off mid-air four times a year. How many times have major accidents occurred across the entire history of other airlines?' The writer added, 'Please stop Jeju Air's safety indifference. Protect the aviation safety of the public and Jeju Air employees from the management.'
Another writer posted with the title 'I am riding in a dangerous airplane,' stating, 'The mechanics work 13 to 14 hours at night and only take about 20 minutes to eat, without rest. The workload is significantly heavier than at other airlines, and there is a famous saying in the aviation maintenance industry that if you last two years at Jeju Air, you can endure anywhere else.'
In fact, the maintenance workforce for low-cost carriers (Low Cost Carrier·LCC) is lacking compared to full-service carriers (Full Service Carrier·FSC). The number of maintenance personnel per aircraft that LCCs have (total number of mechanics divided by the number of aircraft) does not meet the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's recommended minimum standard of 12. As of the end of last year, the number of maintenance personnel per LCC was as follows: Jeju Air 11.2 (42 aircraft), T’way Air 11.5 (30), Jin Air 10.1 (27), and AIR BUSAN 8.2 (22). In contrast, full-service carriers Korean Air and Asiana Airlines had 16.5 and 16.1, respectively. A shortage of maintenance personnel can lead to negligence in maintenance.
Jeju Air is also the airline that has received the most administrative sanctions from aviation authorities for regulatory violations. According to the report on 'Administrative Actions and Penalty Surcharges Imposed by Airline,' from 2020 to September of this year, 10 national airlines received a total of 36 administrative actions for violations of the Aviation Safety Act and other laws, with Jeju Air having the highest number at 9 occasions.
Jeju Air has also received the most serious sanction, namely 'operational suspension orders.' The reasons for Jeju Air receiving these orders include violations of operational and maintenance regulations twice, once for transporting dangerous goods, and once for alcohol consumption. From 2019 until August of this year, Jeju Air's penalty surcharges amounted to the highest sum, totaling 3.738 billion won, uniquely exceeding 3 billion won. This is 187 times more than the smallest amount paid by AIR BUSAN (20 million won).
A representative of Jeju Air noted, 'We accept administrative actions with humility. However, we also have the largest number of maintenance personnel per aircraft among LCCs. We are making efforts to ensure there are no issues in the maintenance sector through pre-departure and arrival checks, as well as ongoing 24-hour inspections.'