Airplanes are parked on the tarmac at Gimpo domestic airport in Seoul on September 2, 2020. FILE PHOTO/Agence France-Presse
SEOUL – A Jeju Air passenger jet that departed Gimpo Airport in Seoul for Jeju on Dec 30 experienced an unidentified landing-gear issue after takeoff and returned to Gimpo where it landed safely, Yonhap news reported, citing an unnamed source.
This comes after a Jeju Air plane carrying 181 people from Thailand to South Korea crashed on arrival on Dec 29, smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, leaving all but two dead.
South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok on Dec 30 ordered an emergency safety inspection of the country’s entire airline operation system once the recovery work on the crash is finished.
He has also declared a seven-day national mourning period until Jan 4.
READ: What we know about Jeju Air plane crash in South Korea
Officials are investigating what caused the plane to crash-land, including why its landing gear appeared to have malfunctioned and whether the plane had been struck by birds.