30-12-2024 (SEOUL) A Jeju Air passenger aircraft was forced to return to Gimpo International Airport in Seoul on Monday morning after experiencing landing gear complications, sparking fresh safety concerns following Sunday’s catastrophic crash of the same aircraft model.
The Boeing 737-800, operating as Flight 7C101, took off from Gimpo at 6:37 AM local time with 161 passengers aboard. Minutes into its planned journey to Jeju Island, flight crew detected irregularities with the landing gear system, prompting an immediate decision to turn back.
The aircraft successfully touched down at Gimpo at 7:25 AM, with no injuries reported among passengers or crew. The incident comes mere hours after a devastating crash in Muan that claimed 179 lives, where preliminary investigations suggest multiple landing gear failures as the primary cause.
Aviation experts are particularly troubled by the timing and nature of this incident, as both aircraft were Boeing 737-800 models. Jeju Air, South Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, operates a fleet of 41 aircraft, of which 39 are Boeing 737-800s.
“We are taking this incident extremely seriously, especially given recent events,” said a Jeju Air spokesperson. “All passengers will be transferred to a replacement aircraft to continue their journey to Jeju.”
The Korean Aviation Safety Authority has announced it will conduct immediate safety inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft currently in service with domestic carriers.
