Korean Air, Jeju Air and T’way Air have been fined a total of 3.54 billion won (US$2.6 million) by South Korea’s government for safety violations.
The three South Korean airlines violated the Aviation Safety Act, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported, citing a statement by the country’s ministry of land, infrastructure and transport on Tuesday.
The fines come five months after the country’s aviation safety standards were in the spotlight following the crash landing last December of Jeju Air Flight 2216, which ran into a wall at South Korea’s Muan International Airport, killing 179 passengers and crew members.
The deadliest aviation incident on South Korean soil prompted calls for stricter safety and maintenance checks on local airlines.
In June last year, a Korean Air flight bound for Taiwan had to turn back and make an emergency landing after a fault with the aircraft’s pressurisation system was detected.
In addition to imposing fines, the government also suspended the licenses of eight aviation maintenance engineers – three each from T’way Air and Jeju Air, and two from Korean Air – for between 15 days and 45 days.
The decision was finalised after a penalty review committee meeting held in early April.
