FAA team arrives in Seoul to discuss
downgrading of Korean airlines
By Jim Lea, Osan bureau chief
A five-person team from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration
arrived Tuesday in Seoul to explain to government officials why the agency downgraded
Korean Air and Asiana Airlines.
The FAA said last week the airlines were downgraded because the
companies do not adequately evaluate pilot performance, have inadequate training programs
for technicians and do not have enough experts to investigate crashes and other mishaps.
South Korean officials, however, claim those problems had been
remedied before the FAA action was taken. Construction and Transportation Minister Oh
Jang-seo was fired last week as a result of the FAA action.
The FAA team is being headed by Elizabeth Ericson, who heads the
agency’s Asian Pacific office, according to a Construction and Transportation
Ministry spokesman.
During the visit, FAA officials will explain what steps the airlines
must take to be upgraded, the spokesman said.
The Korean government is expected to complete its investigation of
the downgrade next week and announce what — if any — disciplinary actions will
be taken.
What impact, if any, the downgrade will have on official U.S.
government travel still has not been determined. U.S. Forces Korea spokeswoman Lee
Ferguson said command officials have been too involved with the Ulchi Focus Lens ’01
training exercise to address the issue.
The downgrading is expected to cause the two financially strapped
airlines tens of millions of dollars, because it prohibits them from launching new routes
in the United States, expanding existing routes and engaging in shared ticket sales with
U.S. airlines.
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