Flight crew walked onto the wing of an aircraft and started taking photographs.
Flight attendants from the South Korean budget airline Eastar Jet Co. are under investigation after stepping onto the wing of a plane to take photos. The aircraft was parked at Cheongju International Airport when the crew exited through the emergency door. The airline later confirmed the activity was part of an unofficial training session but deemed it inappropriate behavior.
The incident occurred on February 12 during a flight scheduled to depart for Jeju Island, which was delayed by more than an hour. Heavy snow caused multiple delays at the airport, prompting the crew to engage in the unofficial training, an airline official confirmed. “At the time, a maintenance technician was discussing the emergency exit door with the cabin crew, leading to a training session where they practiced opening the exit.” The airline acknowledged that taking the “certification shot” was inappropriate and stated that an investigation is underway. “Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings,” the airline added.
The Korean Airports Corporation (KAC) reported that it was not informed of the training. It issued a warning to Eastar Jet and urged authorities to take action against the crew. Cheongju International Airport is a military airport, where photography is prohibited without prior clearance from the commanding officer. Unauthorized photography of military-designated areas can result in up to three years in prison or fines of up to $20,000.
The airline maintains that the emergency door was opened for training purposes, not for taking photos. “The airline took advantage of the waiting time caused by heavy snow and conducted an emergency exit training that is normally difficult to carry out,” it stated. Eastar Jet also said it is reinforcing “strict training measures” to prevent similar incidents in the future.
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This incident follows the worst plane crash in South Korean history, which occurred in December. A Jeju Air flight crashed at Muan International Airport, killing 179 passengers and crew members. A bird strike is suspected to have caused the crash.
In January, an Air Busan aircraft caught fire, leading to the evacuation of all 176 passengers and crew at Gimhae International Airport. Four people were injured while escaping the plane. Following the incident, South Korea banned portable batteries over 160 watts and restricted the number of batteries passengers can bring onboard. Power banks and batteries, which can ignite fires, are prohibited in checked baggage.
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Airlines worldwide are under scrutiny after a series of crashes and incidents have raised safety concerns. This week, a Delta plane crashed and flipped over in Toronto, though miraculously, everyone survived. In February, a regional plane with 10 people onboard disappeared in Alaska. Its wreckage was later found 34 miles from its destination, with no survivors. In January, an American Airlines plane collided mid-air with a military helicopter and crashed into the icy waters of the Potomac River. All three people in the helicopter and 64 passengers on the commercial flight perished.
Americans’ confidence in air safety has declined since the collision, dropping from 71% to 64%, according to the Associated Press.
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