South Korea’s government has decided to extend Muan international airport’s shutdown to April 18, according to the transport ministry on Saturday. Recall that this shutdown is happening because of the tragic incident where a Jeju Air passenger jet (Boeing 737-800) crashed on December 29, killing all 179 passengers on board.
All but two of the 181 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 operated by South Korean budget airline, Jeju Air died in a crash last year. Video footage showed the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, without its landing gear deployed, crash-landing on its belly and overshoot a runaway at South Korea’s southern Muan International Airport before the aircraft crashed into concrete fence and burst into a flame.
The deadliest accident in aviation history occurred in 1977, when two Boeing 747 jumbo jets crashed on a foggy runway on the Spanish island of Tenerife, killing 583 of the 644 passengers on board the planes. In the aftermath of the air crash, Spanish investigators had blamed the captain of the KLM 747 for taking off without clearance from air traffic controllers.