A devastating plane crash involving a Jeju Air flight has tragically shocked the aviation industry, which had regarded South Korea as one of the world's safest locations for air travel. Flight 7C2216, a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800, crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport just after 9 a.m. local time on Sunday, resulting in the loss of nearly all 181 passengers and crew, with only two crew members surviving (source: SCMP, Business Insider).

While recent years have seen South Korea’s aviation industry thrive and evolve, this has not always been the case. Geoffrey Thomas, editor at Airline News, pointed out that “25 years ago, South Korea was a pariah in the aviation industry.” Following decades of deadly incidents due to poor safety standards and pilot errors, significant efforts were made to enhance aviation safety practices that have dramatically improved the country's standing in the sector.

The Jeju Air disaster marks the first fatal incident for the airline, which was founded in 2005 and has been recognized among the top low-cost carriers in the world by AirlineRatings.com in 2024. The company's establishment was part of a broader cultural overhaul prompted by an alarming history of aviation accidents that had plagued South Korea.

Before the turn of the millennium, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines dominated the country's airline scene, with severe safety issues characterizing their operations. Between 1978 and 1999, Korean Air experienced seven fatal crashes attributed predominantly to pilot error. Notable tragedies included the 1989 crash of Korean Air Flight 803, which killed 75 people, and the disastrous Korean Air Flight 801, which succumbed to failure in 1997, claiming over 200 lives (source: Business Insider). The sequence of tragic events rendered Korean Air as a pariah, leading to suspensions of partnerships by major airlines such as Delta and Air France.

In late 1990s, South Korea commenced a critical mission to rehabilitate its aviation image. By employing a retired Delta executive, the airline industry overhauled its training protocols and restructured hiring practices. Investigations revealed that cockpit culture played a significant role in many accidents, often inhibiting first officers and flight engineers from challenging captains. This led to reforms that increased shared responsibilities among crew members (source: SCMP, Business Insider).

By the early 2000s, these efforts bore fruit, with partnerships being reinstated and FAA upgrading the airline's safety ratings. By 2008, South Korea emerged victorious in the International Civil Aviation Organization's safety audits, establishing its airlines as among the safest globally. Currently, Korean Air is part of the SkyTeam Alliance, adhering to stringent safety requirements.

Despite this commendable trajectory, the Jeju Air incident raises substantial concerns about operational safety protocols amidst ongoing investigations. Experts like Geoffrey Thomas have indicated that the recent crash likely involved multiple bird strikes and subsequent failures. “I think the issue is multiple bird strikes and then multiple failures,” he stated, foreseeing critical findings from ongoing inquiries that could offer valuable insights for aircraft operations moving forward. He emphasized the importance of timely communication of lessons to other fleet operators to prevent similar calamities in the future (source: SCMP, Business Insider).