Authorities extend Muan Airport closure until Jan. 7, defend concrete embankment design
Published: 31 Dec. 2024, 17:17
Updated: 31 Dec. 2024, 18:19
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![Police inspect damaged localizers at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Dec. 30, 2024. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/31/ddae6771-f1f8-4ef4-aba9-f5ef7a0f28c4.jpg)
Police inspect damaged localizers at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla on Dec. 30, 2024. [YONHAP]
Muan International Airport in South Jeolla, the site where a Jeju Air crash claimed the lives of 179 victims, will remain closed for an extended period until 5 a.m. on Jan. 7.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Tuesday that the airport’s closure would be extended from the previous Jan. 1 to Jan. 7. The ministry will evaluate the possibility of reopening the airport depending on the progress of site recovery, as the crash destroyed major facilities, including localizers. Localizers are navigation aids that assist aircraft during landing.
On-site inspections began Tuesday, with 11 investigators from the Transport Ministry and eight personnel from the United States’ joint investigative team dispatched to the area.
Regarding the localizers — or the concrete structure near the runway — which have been criticized for exacerbating the accident, the ministry said that the installation did not violate any laws.
An instrument landing system localizer provides horizontal guidance to align aircraft with the runway. The localizer at Muan International Airport consists of a two-meter-high concrete base with an antenna mounted on top.
According to the ministry, the concrete barrier was installed outside the runway end safety area, which is not subject to regulations mandating that structures be “easily destroyed.”
The runway end safety area according to international standards should be at least 90 meters (295 feet) long, while 240 meters is recommended. At Muan International Airport, the area measures 199 meters. The runway end safety area is designed to minimize damage to aircraft that overrun the runway.
![A screengrab of the localizers at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla captured by Google Street View in September 2018. [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/31/99ddd0f9-c8a5-4793-bfdb-cea779fba0da.jpg)
A screengrab of the localizers at Muan International Airport in South Jeolla captured by Google Street View in September 2018. [SCREEN CAPTURE]
The ministry added Tuesday that the localizers were originally designed with a mound shape and a concrete embankment to ensure the supporting facility remained "unaffected by rain and wind."
It also noted that a 30-centimeter-thick concrete embankment was additionally installed in the upper part during their replacement last year.
The Jeju Air aircraft crashed into the concrete embankment supporting the localizers on Sunday, causing a devastating explosion upon collision. The concrete embankment was located about 251 meters away from the runway end.
Domestic and international experts have raised concerns that the structure significantly contributed to the severity of the crash. Critics argue that constructing such facilities with protruding concrete structures, rather than using metal, is highly unusual.
“Had the concrete mound on the runway not been there, the damage and explosion might have been less severe,” said Kim In-gyu, director of the Aviation Training Center at Korea Aerospace University, in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of Korea JoongAng Daily Monday. Kim suggested that the collision with the structure amplified the impact as the aircraft attempted to land.
“Localizer facilities on runways serve as guiding beacons, not structures designed to withstand aircraft collisions,” said Hwang Ho-won, a professor of aerospace law at Korea Aerospace University and president of the Korea Aviation Security Association. “Hypothetically, if the dirt mound and concrete had not been there, the loss of life might have been reduced.”
![Localizers at Muan International Airport are seen damaged from the Jeju Air crash on Dec. 30, 2024. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2024/12/31/925fe1e3-5e86-4cd3-b630-9e59f986f174.jpg)
Localizers at Muan International Airport are seen damaged from the Jeju Air crash on Dec. 30, 2024. [YONHAP]
Overseas experts have echoed such concerns.
“To have a hard object about 200 meters or less into the overrun, I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere before,” said David Learmount, an aviation expert, on British news outlet Sky News.
“There was plenty of space for the aircraft to slow down and come to a halt. That kind of structure should not be there.”
According to Muan International Airport, the concrete structure was installed last year during the replacement of the localizer, reportedly to strengthen the base holding the antennas.
Addressing the controversy surrounding the concrete embankment, the Transport Ministry noted that similar structures exist at other domestic airports on Monday.
“The antennas of localizers are placed higher on concrete and H-beam steel structures at Jeju International Airport, and on soil fill and concrete at Yeosu and Pohang Gyeongju Airport,” said Joo Jong-wan, director of aviation policy at the Transport Ministry, during a press briefing.
On Tuesday, Joo reiterated that the installation does not violate the regulations.
However, given the severity of the tragedy, he said that the ministry would revisit installation guidelines with experts to determine if amendments are necessary.
BY CHO JUNG-WOO, KIM MIN-YOUNG, CHOI KYEONG-HO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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