Seven South Korean Airlines Fined For Failing To Provide Disability-Friendly Services

Illustration of the plane at the Gimpo International Airport Domestic Terminal. (Wikimedia Commons/Subway06)

JAKARTA - A number of South Korean airlines have been fined for failing to provide disability-friendly services such as setting or providing priority seats, to providing the necessary information for passengers with mobility difficulties, the country's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation said on Wednesday.

The authority imposed a fine of 2.5 million won to each airline, including Jeju Air, Tway Air, Air Seoul, Air Premia, Air Busan, Eastar Jet and Aero K.

According to the ministry, the airline violated the standard of air traffic comfort for those with mobility problems, reported The Korea Times on August 8.

Air transportation operators must comply with these standards to ensure the safety of passengers with disabilities, as stipulated by the Aviation Business Act.

Most importantly, air transportation operators here are required to provide services that will facilitate access for passengers with disabilities when they get on and off the plane. Airlines also need to provide proper training to their staff.

Previously, the ministry conducted inspections of 10 airlines and two airport operators since May 8 for about a month, to see if they had complied with the standards.

As a result, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, and Korea Airports Corp. met standards. But the lower-cost airlines mentioned above do not meet the standards.

Aero K, Air Seoul and Air Premia not only manage inadequate priority seats, but also fail to provide safety and service information on flight in braille letters according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Incheon International Airport Corp., and Korea Airports Corp. operate special service centers for passengers with mobility issues, while supporting their movement within the airport. The companies are also actively expanding special services at airports for the convenience of travelers, according to inspections by the ministry.

Since then, all airlines have updated their websites with the latest information about priority seats, distributing braille buckets on their aircraft and immediately improving their inadequate business practices, the ministry said.

"We believe this latest inspection is an opportunity for airlines to improve their services for more passengers," said a ministry official.

"We will continue to monitor whether they continue to comply with standards, and if necessary, we will increase sanctions against those who violate them and other aviation regulations here," he said.

According to a previous survey conducted by the ministry, nearly a third of South Korea's population is vulnerable to transportation by 2021. The survey shows more than 15 million people, out of a total population of about 51 million by the end of 2021, experiencing mobility difficulties.

This figure has increased sharply over the past few years, up about 800,000 between 2016 and 2021. This has raised calls for transportation service operators to provide more action in favor of those experiencing mobility difficulties.