South Korea tells budget airlines not to cut corners

The transport ministry conducted a safety review of the country’s six budget carriers this month, after one aircraft was forced to make an emergency return due to an unsealed door. The Boeing 737-800 belonged to Jin Air, a budget airline operated by South Korea’s top carrier Korean Air. Last month, a passenger jet belonging to another budget carrier, Jeju Air, plunged 10,000 feet due to problems with its on-board air compression system. 

The ministry concluded that low cost carriers were making an “inadequate” investment in safety given the exponential growth in traffic over the past decade. 

The six budget carriers accounted for 59% of domestic market share last year, mostly centred on the route between Seoul and Jeju.