South Korea extends Boeing 737-800 inspections as Jeju Air wreckage lifted

Inspections on 101 Boeing jets operated by country’s airlines extended to January 10 following the deadly plane crash.

Inspections of all 101 Boeing 737-800 jets operated by South Korea’s airlines have been extended for another week, the transport ministry said, as authorities began lifting the wreckage of the Jeju Air plane following the country’s worst aviation disaster.

The inspections of the Boeing jets were supposed to be completed on Friday but were extended to January 10 for additional checks, such as whether airlines spent enough time carrying out maintenance and secured parts for repairs, a ministry official told reporters on Friday.

A total of 179 people were killed on Sunday after Jeju Air Flight 2216 from Thailand to South Korea skidded and crashed while trying to land at Muan International Airport southwest of the capital, Seoul. Only two people survived the incident.

The exact cause of the crash is still unknown, but investigators have pointed to a bird strike, faulty landing gear and an installation at the end of the runway that the plane struck as possible issues.

The transport ministry said it would look at engines, maintenance records and landing gear on all 737-800s, adding that an airline’s operations could be suspended if serious violations are found.