Jeju Air crash stokes fears of tarnished image for budget carriers

Seoul: Concerns are mounting within the low-cost carrier (LCC) industry that the image of budget airlines could be tarnished in the wake of the recent Jeju Air crash, according to industry watchers on Tuesday, with industry players fearing a decline in demand for air travel.

“It’s a somber atmosphere across the entire industry, even though it’s just one airline’s incident,” one LCC official told Yonhap News Agency, requesting anonymity.

The official added, “There’s concern that travel demand could be dampened. We are cautiously observing the situation.”

Another industry official said his company held an emergency meeting on the day of the crash to discuss potential impacts. “It seems inevitable that the incident will affect our operations.”

A key factor adding to the unease is the fact that the Boeing B737-800, the aircraft model involved in the Jeju Air crash, is widely used by domestic LCCs, reports Yonhap news agency.

Jeju Air operates 39 units, followed by T’way Air, Jin Air and Easter Jet, with 27, 19 and 10 units, respectively.

“It’s hard to blame the incident solely on the aircraft model, but there is concern that biases against LCCs and this specific model may grow,” an industry insider said.

Some experts note that this incident could serve as an opportunity to enhance safety measures and improve operational practices.

Records from flight tracing service Flightradar24 show that the Jeju Air plane involved in the crash had completed 38 flights in the past week.

On the day before Sunday’s crash, the aircraft traveled six routes, making stops in Kota Kinabalu, Nagasaki, Taipei, Bangkok and Muan, without significant rest intervals.

The packed flight schedule has raised concerns that the airline might have prioritized operations over sufficient maintenance time, potentially compromising safety.

“During the pandemic, air travel demand dropped to 5 to 10 per cent of pre-COVID levels and has recovered as of late,” said Lee Yoon-chul, a professor of business management at Korea Aerospace University.

“Airlines should have undergone a comprehensive review of their operations to meet the rebound in air demand during this transition period. Concerns over whether safety levels remain the same as before are only natural.”

–IANS