In response to questions on the company’s safety procedures on Tuesday, Jeju Air CEO Kim Yi Bae said the plane would not have been cleared for takeoff if the maintenance team had not confirmed its safety.
He said his pilots have been trained to meet standards and the company has two full-fledged simulators.
“We have 12.9 maintenance workers per aircraft, up from 12 in 2019,” he said.
“We have a strict maintenance checklist, it’s impossible to miss things. If something was missed, it would be a big problem.
“As to whether the landing gear was functioning properly, that is directly related to the accident investigation and we cannot know that at this time.”
Mr Kim said the airline would cut flights by 10-15% this winter to be able to carry out more aircraft maintenance, but said this was not an admission that the company was using too many planes.
He added that they will increase weather monitoring before and after flights.
Mr. Kim also acknowledged that Jeju Air has paid the most fines and faced the most administrative measures of any Korean airline in the past five years, but said the company is constantly improving its safety record.
He said he was looking to strengthen the company’s security and maintenance measures, adding: “We are looking to restore your trust in us by strengthening our security measures.”
