Korean Air Safety Record Raises Concerns

Such accidents forced the Korean Transportation Ministry to investigate the airline. Besides the abovementioned accidents, it was revealed that at least four minor accidents, which resulted in three airliners being grounded for repairs, had not been reported. At least 18 other aircraft- from a fleet of 63- also had to have repairs carried out on them. The Ministry subsequently found KAL guilty of violating 58 ‘safety and administrative rules’, and in January this year fined the airline $US44,000 for eight ‘legal violations. ‘

The accidents and investigation could not have come at a worse time for KAL. The relaxation of travel restrictions by the Korean government has made Korea an area of growth for air lines. Some 7. 7m passengers used Kimpo’s two international terminals during 1989, an increase of 33% over the previous year. Domestic traffic increased by 40%, with some 6. 6m passengers passing through the domestic terminal at Kimpo – all this in a country not much larger than Tasmania. KAL, however, has not been able to take full advantage of this phenomenal growth, mainly because concerns expressed about safety and poor service have influenced many passengers- including Koreans – to fly with competing foreign airlines.

Exacerbating the situation is the emergence of Asiana Airlines, which recently ended KAl. . s 20 year monopoly on domestic flights. Relations between the two airlines have been less than cordial, especially after the new airline ‘poached’ some 20 top KAL pilots and over 100 other technical staff. Asiana has proven to be a real threat to KAL, flying as it does nine leased 737-400s. Not having to face the same accusations of neglecting safety, the airline has been able to develop rapidly and in January this year its first overseas route, between Seoul and Tokyo, was inaugurated. By 1992 the new carrier will be flying routes to south-east Asia, the United States and Europe, with a fleet of some 30 aircraft.

KAL, meanwhile, continues its efforts to remain Korea’s chief carrier. Improved relations with Communist nations have left the airline optimistic that it may be able to fly direct to Peking and Moscow. Negotiations between the transport bureaucracies of Australia and South Korea recently ended in agreement, allowing the carrier to fly into Australia on a weekly basis, with Qantas in return flying to Seoul. KAL now flies into Sydney’s KingsfordSmith Airport as a primary gateway – something it had long wished to do – at 8:15am every Tuesday, departing at 10. 20 the same morning.

KAL. s record certainly leaves much to be desired. It has been damaged primarily by the company’s aim of sticking to schedules, even at the cost of passenger safety. It has resulted in KAL losing much patronage over its traditional routes, yet still the airline seeks to expand its operations. The advantage of receiving more Korean tourists in Australia to make up for the drop in those from Japan and America cannot be denied. The effect of possible delays- such as those experienced at KSA- on the airline’s schedule obsessed pilots should, however, be questioned.