Firefighters inspect the interior of the Jeju Air passenger plane at the site of a collision and explosion at Muan International Airport in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, Sunday. Yonhap

The plane that crashed at Muan International Airport on the morning of Dec. 29, carrying 181 passengers and crew, has been identified as a Boeing 737-800. The aircraft, operated by Jeju Air, was en route from Bangkok to Muan and is one of the carrier's main fleet models.

According to the Aircraft Technical Information System, the plane, registered as HL8088, was manufactured in 2009 and registered with Jeju Air in 2017.

The Boeing 737-800 has a length of 39.5 meters, a wingspan of 35.8 meters, and a height of 12.5 meters, with a notable wingtip design.

It has a seating capacity of 189 passengers and a cruising speed of approximately 850 kilometers per hour. As of January this year, Jeju Air operates a fleet of 42 planes, consisting only of Boeing 737-800s and Boeing 737-8s.

The Boeing 737-800 is the most widely used aircraft model in Korea, especially among low-cost carriers (LCCs). Other domestic airlines operating this model include T'way Air (27 737-800 planes), Jin Air (19), Eastar Jet (10), and Korean Air (2), bringing the total number of Boeing 737-800s in operation nationwide to 101. However, older aircraft of this model are being gradually replaced by newer types.

This aircraft model has a history of accidents abroad. In March 2022, a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines crashed into a mountain near Wuzhou, China, killing all 132 passengers and crew on board.

In April this year, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800 in the United States experienced an engine cover detachment during takeoff, although no fatalities occurred.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.