In response to the deadliest aviation disaster in South Korean history, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has announced plans to install bird detection cameras and radars at all of the country's airports. The move comes after a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed at Muan airport on December 29, 2023, killing 179 people.
The ministry plans to equip all airports with at least one thermal imaging camera, beginning the rollout next year. Mobile sonic devices will also be implemented to deter medium- and large-sized birds. Bird detection radars will be installed at all airports to enhance early detection of distant birds and improve response capabilities for aircraft.
The ministry will also establish legal bases to move facilities that attract birds, such as food waste treatment facilities and orchards, away from airports and impose new distance restrictions on new facilities. Currently, only four airports in Incheon, Gimpo, Gimhae and Jeju Island have thermal imaging cameras for bird detection.
The government aims to install at least one camera at each of the 15 domestic airports, with procurement set to begin in March. The pilot of the Jeju Air flight warned of a bird strike before pulling out of a first landing attempt. The plane crashed on its second attempt when the landing gear did not emerge.
South Korean and United States investigators are still probing the cause of the crash, which prompted national mourning with memorials set up across the country. Feathers and duck DNA were found in both engines of the Jeju Air flight, with a bird strike being examined as one possible cause. The investigation was further clouded when the transport ministry said the black boxes holding the flight data and cockpit voice recorders for the crashed flight stopped recording four minutes before the disaster.