The government has reported that Muan International Airport received the most criticisms during the 'air navigation safety facility management inspection' conducted at airports nationwide. Jeju Airport, which also ranked first, was primarily criticized for inadequacies in record keeping, whereas Muan Airport faced most of the criticism regarding facility management issues. There are concerns that this might indicate a prevalent safety complacency.
According to relevant authorities on the 6th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Air Safety Policy Office prepared a comprehensive plan entitled '2025 Air Navigation Safety Facility Management Inspection Comprehensive Plan (Draft)' last month. According to the Airport Facility Act, management inspectors must conduct air navigation safety facility management inspections at 15 airports nationwide (7 civilian and 8 military) at least once a year.
Last year's management inspection results revealed that airports nationwide received a total of 71 criticisms, marking an 11% increase from the previous year (64 criticisms). Specifically, Muan Airport received a total of 6 criticisms including ▲1 critical and ▲5 minor issues, while Jeju Airport also received a total of 6 criticisms, all minor.
The criticisms regarding Muan Airport included: ① Failure to conduct performance inspections and verifications ② Inadequacies in managing the airport surveillance radar system (SSR) maintenance documentation terminal (RCMS) ③ Failure to conduct safety evaluations for the omnidirectional beacon system (VOR) ④ Inadequacies in the management of air navigation safety facility equipment rooms ⑤ Inadequacies in managing cables for emergency transmitters and receivers ⑥ Inadequacies in daily inspections of distance measuring equipment (DME) monitoring terminals (CMT).
Muan Airport was mainly criticized for maintenance of safety management facilities. In addition, issues such as a reduction in VOR modulation occurred on May 16th of last year. Jeju Airport, which also received the most criticisms, faced evaluations primarily related to 'records' such as performance verification check logs and maintenance logs.
Experts note that while these criticisms are not directly related to the recent incidents, the lower the safety management level of airports, the greater the risk of aircraft accidents.
Lee Geun-young, a professor of aviation operation at Korea National Transport University and a former air secretary at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Most aircraft accidents have occurred in situations where the air navigation safety facilities were improperly maintained. While each management inspection criticism may not be legally problematic, they increase the likelihood of accidents from a safety perspective."
In fact, according to the professor, incidents such as the 1997 Korean Air Guam accident, the 2013 Asiana Airlines San Francisco accident, and the 2015 Asiana Airlines Hiroshima accident stemmed from failures of air navigation safety facilities like the 'glide slope'.
Meanwhile, the number of criticisms received by other airports, aside from Muan and Jeju Airports, included ▲Incheon, Daegu, Sacheon, and Pohang Airports (each with 4 criticisms) ▲Gimpo, Gwangju, and Ulsan Airports (3 criticisms) ▲Yangyang, Wonju Airports, and Jeongseok Airfield (2 criticisms) ▲Cheongju, Taean, Gimhae, and Uljin Airports (1 criticism). Gunsan, Yeosu, and Goheung Airports did not receive any criticisms.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport named key focus areas for this year's air navigation safety facility management inspections of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration, which includes Muan Airport, as strengthening crisis response, safety goal analysis, management of incidents, and maintenance of aging equipment. The Seoul Regional Aviation Administration was instructed to enhance inspections of vulnerable facilities other than air navigation safety facilities, such as lightning protection facilities, networks, and power devices, while the Jeju Regional Aviation Administration was directed to strengthen inspections of records and manuals. Additionally, due to geopolitical conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war, GPS disturbances aimed at preventing drone and missile attacks in specific areas are said to be occurring frequently, necessitating caution in operations.