Amid allegations that the azimuth facility (localizer) was a factor in escalating the scale of the Jeju Air passenger aircraft incident at Muan International Airport, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated that the facility was installed in accordance with regulations. A localizer is a facility that provides signals to verify the azimuth on the instrument panel during aircraft takeoff and landing.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport noted, "It has been confirmed that the localizer at Muan Airport was installed in compliance with relevant regulations in accordance with the Airport Facilities Act."
According to the ministry, it presented the position that the provision stipulated in Article 23, Paragraph 3 of the "Detailed Guidelines for the Management of Aviation Obstacles," which requires obstacles within airport grounds to be mounted on breakable supports, does not apply to the Muan Airport localizer.
A ministry official explained, "The regulation applies only to equipment located in areas such as landing fields or runway end safety areas," adding that "the Muan Airport localizer is not subject to this guideline."
The ministry also expressed its stance on domestic and international regulations regarding localizer installation. A ministry official said, "The 'installation and technical standards for navigational safety radio facilities' defined in the Airport Facilities Act only regulate operational matters such as localizer frequency and signal strength, with no provisions regarding the height or material of antenna support structures."
It further stated that there are no specific conditions regarding the height or material of localizers included in the regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). A ministry official remarked, "The correlation between the localizer and this incident will be revealed through a comprehensive investigation by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board."