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[Alpha Biz=(Chicago) Reporter Paul Lee] T'way Airlines has experienced five delays in flights over the past four months due to faulty aircraft, the report showed.
According to the aviation industry on the 12th, the takeoff of T'way Air flight TW184, which was leaving Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok, Thailand for Cheongju Airport at 0:40 a.m. (local time), was delayed for more than eight hours.
The plane, which carried 185 passengers, reportedly went into emergency maintenance just before takeoff due to a "smell of burning." The company sees it as a delay in departure due to engine failure.
Earlier on the 3rd, the 189-seat TW156, which was heading to Cheongju Airport from Nha Trang, Vietnam, departed about eight hours later than the scheduled departure time after receiving maintenance due to a gas breakdown.
Also on Oct. 30, flight TW303, which departed from Incheon for Guam, returned for an emergency safety inspection, and returned about 30 minutes after takeoff due to a faulty TW130 one-way plane that departed from Da Nang Airport in Vietnam in the middle of the same month and headed to Daegu Airport, and was delayed for about 7 hours and 40 minutes. In August, flight TW158, which departed from Natrang, Vietnam, and was supposed to arrive at Incheon International Airport, was delayed due to aircraft problems and was finally canceled.
As delays and cancellations have become more frequent, some have raised concerns that T'way Airlines may have been insufficient to inspect the remaining aircraft as it was busy expanding its routes and expanding supply.
According to the disclosure of aviation safety investment by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, T'way Airlines' safety investment plan for this year is KRW 117.7 billion, the smallest among four listed LCCs (low-cost carriers), including Jin Air (KRW 477.4 billion), Jeju Air (KRW 402 billion) and Air Busan (KRW 191 billion).
The company also invested 36.1 billion won in the field last year, which is relatively small compared to Jin Air's investment of 391.7 billion won, Air Busan's investment of 260.2 billion won and Jeju Air's investment of 224.7 billion won during the same period.
T'way Airlines explained, "It is inevitable for safety to return or delay due to maintenance problems before and after departure."
AlphaBIZ 폴 리(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
