Korea’s transport ministry is reinforcing safety measures for hazardous materials – notably regarding passenger carriage of batteries – as part of a new air transport policy.
While the ministry has not specifically linked the measures to the Air Busan Airbus A321 fire at Gimhae on 28 January, it states that the policy will include informing passengers on the “quantity and storage methods” of auxiliary batteries.
The A321 was destroyed after a blaze broke out in the aft fuselage as the jet prepared to depart for Hong Kong. All 176 occupants evacuated safetly.
Investigators have not reached conclusions on the cause of the fire.
But Air Busan issued a notification on 5 February prohibiting spare and auxiliary lithium-ion batteries – as well as lighters and matches – from being stored in overhead cabin luggage bins.
“For the prevention of in-flight fires and to ensure a safe journey, we kindly ask passengers to be aware of these guidelines and co-operate,” the carrier added.
The accident was a harsh introduction for new chief executive Jeong Byeong-seop who had only taken up the post less than two weeks earlier, and who had remarked that the carrier enjoyed “customer trust and quality service based on thorough safety”.
Korea’s ministry, which presented the new policy at an 11 February conference, says it will strengthen regulations for taking spare batteries on board, ensuring batteries are safely packed and terminals capped.
It says the safety policy and “high-intensity” enhancement plan follows comprehensive air transport inspections conducted in the second half of January, initially spurred by the fatal Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash at Muan on 29 December.
The conference, it states, has been convened in order to “deeply instil safety as the top priority” at a time when a number of high-profile aviation accidents have occurred both domestically and internationally.
According to the ministry a resolution – to be signed by representatives of airlines, airport operators and other participants – focuses on five specific points to ensure that the public can use air transport “with peace of mind”.
These include mobilising resources, speeding up recruitment of pilots and maintenance personnel, securing sufficient maintenance time on the ground, reinforcing training for abnormal situations, and establishing a culture of opting for the safest course of action.
