After the disaster involving a Jeju Air passenger plane in December of last year, a JIN AIR aircraft that had been stranded at Muan International Airport for over a month can finally be moved. JIN AIR, which suffered hundreds of millions to billions of won in damages, made several requests for flight permits, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport rejected them. After JIN AIR filed an administrative lawsuit, the ministry belatedly changed its stance and decided to grant the flight permit.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the aviation industry on the 13th, the ministry plans to temporarily open the runway so that JIN AIR's B737-800 passenger plane (HL8012) at Muan Airport can depart around 12:30 p.m. on the 16th and approve the flight permit.
The passenger plane has not moved for 44 days since landing at Muan Airport at 8:54 a.m. on December 29 of last year after departing from Taipei, Taiwan. This is because the runway was closed due to an accident involving Jeju Air that occurred around 9:03 a.m. on the same day.
JIN AIR has reportedly made several requests to the ministry to allow the movement of this aircraft, but the ministry is said to have rejected the flight permits without clear explanations. The marine police transport aircraft and university training aircraft that were at Muan Airport during the disaster were able to leave on the 12th and 21st of last month, respectively, when the runway was temporarily opened. Conditional flight permits were granted at that time, but JIN AIR's passenger plane did not receive permission. Currently, it is difficult to land at Muan Airport, but takeoffs are possible.
JIN AIR reported that it has incurred hundreds of millions of won in losses while keeping its aircraft grounded for a month and a half. The monthly leasing cost of the aircraft is $210,000 (approximately 300 million won). Considering the losses incurred from not being able to deploy the aircraft on routes during the peak winter season, maintenance costs, and parking fees, the damage amount is significant. Based on this, JIN AIR filed a damages claim lawsuit against the state at the Seoul Central District Court on the 7th, but did not disclose the claimed amount.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has not disclosed the reasons for rejecting JIN AIR's flight permit. Some have raised suspicions that the delay in the JIN AIR aircraft's landing schedule led to the Jeju Air disaster, and investigations related to this are reportedly underway. Minister Park Sang-woo replied during the '12.29 passenger plane disaster special committee' held at the National Assembly on the 6th, stating, 'If JIN AIR's aircraft is not needed for the accident investigation or poses no threat for takeoff, there is no reason to prevent its departure.'
If the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport approves the flight permit for the JIN AIR passenger plane, it is expected that the aircraft will be moved to Gimpo or Incheon, where maintenance is possible. Once JIN AIR retrieves the aircraft, it is expected that the lawsuit will be withdrawn, as continuing the lawsuit against the ministry, which holds the licensing authority, is likely to lead to various disadvantages. A JIN AIR official noted, 'We have not yet confirmed the flight permit schedule.'