By Hyunjoo Jin and Dan Catchpole
SEOUL/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Before it suffered the deadliest crash in South Korea’s history, budget airline Jeju Air was moving fast: racking up record passenger numbers and flying its aircraft more than domestic rivals and many of its global peers, data show.
The high “utilisation rate” of Jeju Air’s planes – the number of hours they fly in a day – is not problematic in itself, experts say, but means scheduling enough time for required maintenance is crucial.
Authorities have suggested a bird strike contributed to the accident, but as part of their probe into the incident aboard Boeing (NYSE:) 737-800, police have raided the airlines’ Seoul office to seize documents related to the operation and maintenance of the plane.
“You’re literally looking at everything,” said aviation safety and crash investigation expert Anthony Brickhouse. “You’re going to start off with their accident history and safety…
