The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) yesterday confirmed that Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) has had safety installations, such as engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS), since 2009, amid concerns following a fatal crash at a South Korean airport on Sunday.
Responding to questions about the relatively short runway at Songshan airport during a legislative hearing, board chairman Lin Shinn-der (林信德) said that the end of the runway had been fitted with an EMAS — crushable material designed to stop an aircraft that overruns.
A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 passenger plane on Sunday crashed at Muan International Airport, before smashing into a barrier and bursting into flames, killing 179 of the 181 people on board.
Photo courtesy of Taipei International Airport
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that the runway at Muan airport is 2.8km long and Songshan airport’s is 2.6km long, adding that a TransAsia Airways plane nearly overran the runway in Taipei in 2004.
The aim of an EMAS is to prevent a plane that overruns and hits a barrier from being totally destroyed, Lin said, adding that many airports in urban areas with shorter runways depend on such systems.
Before the EMAS was fully installed in 2009, only smaller planes were cleared to land at Songshan airport, but now it can accommodate larger aircraft, he said.
In addition to the EMAS, the airport has used other special materials to construct its enclosing wall, offering further protection in the event of a crash, he added.
Following the Jeju Air crash, Lin said the TTSB would advise the Civil Aviation Administration to study what had happened. It would also work with the US’ National Transportation Safety Board to research safety features at airports that have experienced similar tragedies.
Lee said that as the Jeju Air flight might have experienced landing gear issues ahead of the crash, he was worried about the 10 China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) Boeing 737-800 planes.
The TTSB urged the carrier intensify efforts to carry out daily maintenance work and regular checkups.
Meanwhile, South Korea yesterday ordered a “comprehensive inspection” of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by the nation’s carriers.
US air safety officials and staff from the beleaguered aircraft maker Boeing Co arrived to join investigators probing the worst air disaster on South Korean soil, which officials initially blamed on a collision with birds.
The nation began seven days of mourning, with flags flying at half-mast and the acting president flying to the crash site for a memorial.
Acting South Korean President Choi Sang-mok, who has only been in office since Friday, said the government was making “every effort” to identify victims and support bereaved families.
Choi, who became acting president after his two predecessors were impeached, said a “thorough investigation into the cause of the accident” would be conducted.
He also said South Korea would conduct “an urgent safety inspection of the overall aircraft operation system” to prevent future aviation disasters.
Both black boxes from the plane — the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder — have been found.
“As for the comprehensive inspection, maintenance records of key systems such as engines and landing gear will be thoroughly reviewed for 101 aircraft operated by six airlines using the same model as the accident aircraft,” South Korean Deputy Minister for Civil Aviation Joo Jong-wan said. “This process will be carried out intensively starting today and continuing until January 3.”
Additional reporting by AFP
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS