South Korea’s interim leader ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire flight operations, a day after 179 people were killed in its deadliest plane crash .
The Jeju Air plane caught fire as it crashed at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, killing all but two people on board.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok asked investigators to quickly release their findings to the bereaved families.
His request also comes as another Jeju Air flight returned to Seoul shortly after takeoff on Monday, due to an unidentified landing gear problem.
On Monday, the Jeju Air plane took off from Gimpo International Airport at 6:35 a.m. local time (9:35 p.m. GMT Sunday) and returned less than an hour later after discovering a mechanical fault caused by a landing gear problem, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. reported.
Landing gear refers to the set of wheels and other parts of the aircraft that support the aircraft during takeoff, taxiing, and landing.
The plane that turned back was a Boeing B737-800, the same model as the one involved in Sunday’s disaster.
Thirty-nine of the 41 aircraft in Jeju Air’s fleet are of this model.
After Sunday’s deadly crash, Boeing said it was in contact with Jeju Air and was “ready to support them.”
The 179 passengers on Flight 7C2216 ranged in age from three to 78, although most were between 40, 50 and 60, according to Yonhap news agency. Two Thai nationals were among the dead and the others were believed to be South Koreans, authorities said.
On Sunday, the ill-fated plane skidded off the runway after landing and crashed into a wall shortly after 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
A South Korean transport official said the plane attempted to land but was forced to wait after air traffic control issued a bird strike warning – an alert about the risk of colliding with birds.
Air traffic command then cleared the plane to land in the opposite direction, the official said.
Airline bosses made a deep bow as they publicly apologized at a press conference on Sunday.
“We deeply apologize to everyone affected by the incident. We will do everything possible to resolve the situation,” the company said in a statement.
Shares of Jeju Air were trading down about 8% in Seoul on Monday.
The accident is a national tragedy for South Korea, which was plunged into political turmoil after Parliament voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol and his temporary successor Han Duck-soo.
Acting President Choi, who took office only on Friday, said he was “heartbroken” by the accident.
“To the honorable citizens of our nation, as Acting President, my heart aches as we face this unforeseen tragedy in the midst of recent economic hardship,” he said.
