The South Korean Transport Ministry is planning to undertake a complete safety review of the nation’s budget airlines. The ministry noted that all low cost carriers would be exposed to an overall inspection of their flight operations and safety management, including all maintenance records and procedures. The review aims to determine each carrier’s adherence to international safety standards and regulations. This safety probe was prompted after an incident involving a Jin Air Boeing 737, one of South Korea’s six low cost carriers, where it was found that one of its doors had not been sealed properly and was leaking air (resulting in pressurisation difficulties).

After being downgraded to a ‘Category 2’ country by the FAA, the Thai Transport Ministry has announced its plans to introduce new legislation to enforce higher safety standards within the Thai aviation industry. The Thai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have signed a joint agreement, which will see EASA assist the DCA in adhering to international aviation safety standards set by EASA. Additionally, a number of internal alterations will be made within the DCA, including administrative and human resource changes.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has raised its concerns over the amount of “stick and rudder” hours commercial pilots have accrued in their flying training. An investigation carried out by the DOT suggests that a number of recent incidents could be attributed to insufficient hours of manual flight training. They also added that advances in cockpit automation may lead to pilots relying too heavily on computer assistance in flight, which may affect their ability to control the aircraft during unexpected events, such as turbulence or engine failure.