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Photo = Yonhap news |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Sangjin] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) has begun a nationwide investigation into aviation safety facilities at airports across South Korea, in response to concerns that the concrete berm beneath the localizer at Muan Airport contributed to the severity of the passenger plane tragedy.
The U.S. Joint Investigation Team, which has arrived in Muan, is also closely inspecting this facility.
In a briefing on Wednesday, MOLIT stated that it is currently investigating the materials used in aviation safety facilities installed at airports nationwide. Previously, MOLIT had stated that the localizer at Muan Airport complied with regulations, but now the Ministry is reviewing the installation statuses at other airports and considering both domestic and international regulations more seriously.
The localizer is a navigation safety facility located some distance away from the runway. It helps aircraft land accurately by emitting radio signals. The ill-fated aircraft, while attempting a belly landing, passed over the runway and collided with the concrete berm of the localizer, causing the plane to burst into flames. There are now voices suggesting that the tragedy could have been avoided had the concrete structure not been present.
This structure has been in place since the design phase over 20 years ago. The project was commissioned by MOLIT and the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration, with construction handled by the Kumho Construction Consortium starting in 1999.
Initially, MOLIT defended the Muan Airport localizer in a briefing held at the end of December, stating that the facility complied with regulations, and pointed to similar structures at airports like Los Angeles International Airport and Tenerife Airport in Spain. However, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has set the safety zone at 240 meters, while the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a distance of 1,000 feet (304 meters). Additionally, it was revealed that during a 2023 maintenance project, the concrete berm was raised by 30 cm.
Following the briefing, counterarguments have been raised regarding MOLIT’s official standards for the installation of airport facilities, which stipulate that safety zones must be extended to where the localizer is installed, making structures more prone to damage. In the aviation industry, there have been suspicions based on satellite images, suggesting that airports like LA International do not have concrete berms.
AlphaBIZ Kim SangJin(letyou@alphabiz.co.kr)
