SINGAPORE: There are no concrete structures similar to the one involved in the recent Jeju Air crash near the runways of Singapore’s airports, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on Wednesday (Jan 8).
Responding to a question on the Dec 29 incident in parliament, Mr Chee shared that based on the information that is currently available on the crash that killed 179 people, the severity of the outcome was “worsened because of the presence of a concrete structure at the end of the runway”.
“I think there are some videos on social media showing the crash and how the plane ran into this concrete wall,” said Mr Chee.
“I’m glad to share with the House that there are no such concrete structures near runways at our airports,” said Mr Chee.
“All equipment that are required for air navigation purposes that are located near our runways are designed to break off in the event of a collision.”
Jeju Air flight 7C2216, which departed the Thai capital of Bangkok for Muan in southwestern South Korea, belly-landed and overshot the regional airport’s runway, exploding into flames after hitting an embankment.
It was the worst air accident on South Korean soil and there were only two survivors.
Mr Chee said that investigations are ongoing, and that the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is in touch with the Korean Civil Aviation Authority, as well as the US Federal Aviation Administration and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
“We will review and take the necessary preventive actions as more information about the incident becomes available,” he said.
Mr Chee added that CAAS has also checked the maintenance of relevant systems on the Boeing 737-800s here, which is the same model as the aircraft that was involved in the incident, and “they have found no anomalies or reliability issues”.
“We are very sad to learn about this incident,” he added. “We convey our deepest condolences to the victims and their families.”
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