Korean Air to check Airbus A330 fleet after runway overshoot

Korean Air Lines Co. will inspect the remaining 24 Airbus SE A330 aircraft in its fleet after one overshot a runway in the Philippines last month, the carrier’s president said Wednesday. 

Batches of A330s will be taken out of service in phases for a “full-scale, comprehensive safety inspection” in conjunction with external consultants, Woo Kee-hong said in a meeting with officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

“Korean Air is aware of the gravity of the recent events involving our A330 aircraft,” he said, according to a transcript the airline shared with Bloomberg News. In addition to the 24 A330s being inspected, another six will be retired. The company didn’t provide a time frame. 

“We take recent events very seriously,” Woo told the officials. “Safety remains our top priority, and we will analyze and check all safety obstacles that may exist at Korean Air, from top to bottom, and make great efforts to improve them, if needed.” 

The airline is considering early retirement of older aircraft and is expanding safety-related investment and training, Woo said. 

“We are providing all necessary technical support to Korean Air,” an Airbus spokesman said. “With reference to the incident in Cebu, we cannot comment on the ongoing investigation, which is being undertaken by the relevant authorities.”

No passengers or crew were injured in the Oct. 23 runway incident in the Philippines. On Sunday, a Sydney-bound Korean Air A330 returned to Seoul with an engine problem, Yonhap reported.