SEOUL, Dec 30 (Alliance News): A Jeju Air flight en route from Seoul to Jeju island returned to Gimpo International Airport on Monday morning due to a landing gear malfunction, the airline reported.
This comes a day after South Korea’s deadliest plane crash, which involved the same Boeing 737-800 model.
Jeju Air Flight 7C101, which departed Gimpo at 6:37 a.m., detected a landing gear issue shortly after takeoff.
Captain Song Kyung-hoon confirmed the malfunction at 6:57 a.m. and, after attempting to resolve it, decided to return to Gimpo for further inspection. The aircraft landed safely at 7:25 a.m., and no injuries were reported.
The South Korean transport ministry announced a special inspection of all 101 Boeing 737-800 aircraft in the country.
Investigators, including those from Boeing, will also join the ongoing probe into the fatal crash on Sunday that claimed 179 lives when a Jeju Air flight from Thailand belly-landed at Muan and burst into flames.
In light of the landing gear issue, 21 passengers from Flight 7C101 opted out of a replacement flight, citing safety concerns.
Jeju Air stated that safety measures and thorough inspections are underway for its fleet, which predominantly consists of Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
