One of the causes of the Jeju Air passenger plane accident from Bangkok, Thailand, at Muan Airport in South Jeolla on the morning of the 29th is noted to be the runway being relatively shorter than other airports. The runway extension construction is currently underway and is expected to be completed next year. However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said that the runway length is not the cause of the accident.
According to airport authorities, Jeju Air flight 7C2216 was scheduled to depart from Bangkok, Thailand, at 1:30 a.m. and land at Muan Airport at 8:30 a.m. The passenger plane attempted the first landing but was unable to land properly and went for a go-around. During the second landing attempt, the accident occurred. The passenger plane attempted a belly landing as the landing gear, which corresponds to the wheels, did not deploy properly, but it collided with the airport outer wall after passing the runway and exploded. The cause of the accident is presumed to be a bird strike.
Although the passenger plane performed a belly landing, it became controversial whether the runway was short as the fire occurred at the airport outer wall, not on the runway. Muan Airport has one runway, which is 2,800 meters long.
Incheon International Airport has four runways: three are 3,750 meters and one is 4,000 meters. Gimpo Airport has two runways: 3,600 meters and 3,200 meters. Gimhae Airport has two runways of 3,200 meters and 2,744 meters. Jeju International Airport has two runways: 3,180 meters and 1,900 meters. Gwangju Airport has two runways of 2,835 meters.
However, Muan Airport's runway is longer than those at other regional airports. Daegu Airport has two runways: 2,755 meters and 2,744 meters. Both of Cheongju Airport's runways are 2,744 meters long. Yangyang Airport's runway is 2,500 meters, Ulsan Airport is 2,000 meters, and Yeosu Airport is 2,100 meters. Uljin Airport's runway is only 1,800 meters.
In response to the claim that the short runway caused the accident, Joo Jong-hwan, aviation policy director at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “Aircraft had operated on the 2,800-meter runway before,” adding, “It is difficult to say the accident occurred because the runway was not long enough.”
The government started the Muan Airport runway extension to 3,160 meters in 2022 and aims to complete it by 2025. South Jeolla Province has been requesting the runway extension from the government since the airport opened in 2007, arguing that if the runway is not at least 3,000 meters, the Boeing 747, a main cargo type, cannot use it, and the air cargo industry cannot be developed. Extending the runway will allow wide-body aircraft that operate in the Americas and Europe to take off and land.
The Jeju Air passenger plane involved in the accident was a B737-800 model, which is a narrow-body aircraft. It has 189 seats arranged in three seats on each side of a single aisle.