Kim Lee-bae, CEO of Jeju Air, “We cannot confirm the Muan crash was a bird strike” (comprehensive)

“There were no abnormalities in the aircraft,” he said.

Jeju Air CEO Kim Lee-bae said on the 29th regarding the plane crash at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do. Regarding the indication that the cause was a ‘bird strike’, they stated that “confirmation is impossible.” Representative Kim also said “There were no signs of abnormality in the aircraft,” he said.

At a briefing held at the Mayfield Hotel in Gangseo-gu, Seoul at 2 p.m. on this day, CEO Kim said, “The accident airplane was 15 years old and had no accident history,” and “maintenance has been carried out according to a regular program.”

Representative Kim said, “Currently, it is difficult to determine the cause of the accident, and we must wait for the official investigation and announcement from the relevant government agencies,” and added, “We will do our best to work with the government to determine the cause of the accident.”

According to the National Fire Agency, at 9:03 a.m. on this day, a report was received that Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 from Bangkok, Thailand, crashed while attempting to land on the runway at Muan International Airport. The accident aircraft was a B737-800, with 181 people on board, including 175 passengers and 6 crew members. Firefighting authorities began a search from the rear of the aircraft and rescued two people so far, and counted the death toll at 96.

Joo Jong-wan, head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Aviation Policy Division, said at an accident briefing held at the government complex in Sejong that day, “Accident resolution is currently the top priority,” and “Once the accident resolution is completed, we will investigate the cause through black box collection, etc.” Landing gear malfunction and bird strike are cited as causes of the accident, but the position is that a clear investigation is still needed.

Representative Kim also said, “We will do our best to support the bereaved family.” He said, “Staff are in the process of contacting the passengers’ bereaved families. Once again, we would like to express our deepest apologies to those who lost their lives in the accident and their bereaved families.” However, the specific oil support plan has not yet been disclosed.

Jeju Air announced on its website that day, “We are currently operating a company-wide emergency response system,” and “We have formed support staff for bereaved families and will provide all necessary support to the casualties and their families.”

Jeju Air held an emergency meeting chaired by CEO Kim at the Aviation Support Center office in Gangseo-gu, Seoul this morning. It was reported that all executives and team leader level employees were summoned.

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