SEOUL - Korean Air Co., South Korea's largest airline, has announced plans to conduct safety inspections on its Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. This decision follows a recommendation from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for operators to conduct safety checks on this specific model.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Korean Air will carry out a special inspection to ensure the door plugs of its six 737-900ER units are properly secured. This move makes Korean Air the only South Korean airline operating and inspecting this particular model. The FAA's recommendation came after an incident earlier this month involving a Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft in the U.S., which had to make an emergency landing due to a cabin panel blowout. The FAA has identified that the Boeing 737-900ER shares the same type of door plug as the 737 Max 9. A Korean Air official confirmed that the airline regularly conducts comprehensive safety inspections on its 737-900ER aircraft and has not identified any safety-related issues to date.