Korea’s two budget carriers have been slapped with 600 million won ($524,000) in fines for breaching flight safety regulations, the transportation ministry said Friday.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport imposed the highest financial penalty on Jeju Air Co., owned by mid-sized retailer Aekyung Group, and Jin Air Co., a low budget airline unit of Korean Air Lines Co.
An airplane of Jeju Air had to drop to an altitude of 8,000 feet from 18,000 ft on its way to Jejudo Island from Seoul on Dec. 23 last year due to a defect in its air pressure regulator. It had about 150 passengers on board.
A week later, a Jin Air flight carrying some 160 passengers to Busan was forced to make an emergency return to an airport in the Philippines shortly after taking off, after one of its doors was found to be improperly closed.
The ministry suspended the two Jeju Air pilots who were in charge of the Dec. 23 flight for 30 days, with the Jin Air pilot and copilot suspended for 30 days and 15 days, respectively. (Yonhap)