Korean Air Boeing 747-4B5 (28096/1073) HL7495 taxies at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX/KLAX) on November 7, 2011 sporting the carriers special "Welcome to Korea" livery.
(Photo by Michael Carter)
Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MLIT) is urging all Korean aircraft operators to replace or mothball all aircraft that are more than two decades old.
MLIT said that eight of the country’s carriers had signed an MOU in which they “voluntarily agreed to replace all their aircraft that are 20 years old or older.”
The move comes following a spate of aircraft maintenance issues in the region.
In April, Japan and Korea suspended charter flights from Thailand following an ICAO inspection, and two air operator’s certificates (AOCs) in the Philippines were withdrawn last week following a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) audit.
To date, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Jeju Air, Jin Air, Air Incheon, Eastar Jet and T’way Air have all agreed to the 20-year ruling.
MLIT said the agreement was part of Korea’s “ongoing efforts to improve on airline safety.” MLIT said records indicate that of 264 aircraft in service this month, some 14 are MLIT’s new voluntary age limit. These are four Korean Air Boeing 747-400s, Air Incheon 737-400Fs, and Asiana 767-300 and 747-400F cargo aircraft.
Korean Air’s average aircraft age is 9.89 years; No. 2 carrier, Asiana Airlines, has an average aircraft age of 8.47 years, according to the Ministry.
Compared to the US, Korean fleets are mere toddlers, MLIT said, citing Delta Air Lines’ fleet that has 234 aircraft 20+ years old, and American Airlines’ fleet, which has 233+ aircraft of that age or more.
Although MLIT noted that “there currently is no limit on the age or lifespan of an aircraft,” it said the move would help improve both overall safety and efficiency.
(Jeremy Torr - ATWOnline News)
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