Dec. 29, 2024, 3:07 a.m. ETA Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft.Credit score…Fabrizio Gandolfo/SOPA Photographs/LightRocket by way of Getty ImagesThe Jeju Air aircraft that crashed in southwestern South Korea used to be a Boeing 737-800, a type this is used extensively around the globe.There are about 28,000 passenger planes in provider globally, in line with Cirium, an aviation knowledge supplier. About 15 %, or 4,400, are Boeing 737-800s. The aircraft belongs to the corporate’s Subsequent-Technology 737 circle of relatives of jets, the precursor to the extra fashionable 737 Max, which used to be keen on two deadly injuries greater than 5 years in the past that resulted in an international grounding of the Max fleet.Just about 200 airways use the 737-800, in line with Cirium, together with 5 in South Korea: Jeju Air, T’manner Air, Jin air, Eastar Jet and Korean Air. The aircraft is widespread in Asia, Europe and North The us, and Boeing has delivered about 5,000 to consumers since 1998.“The aircraft in query may be very protected and has a excellent protection report,” mentioned Najmedin Meshkati, a professor of engineering on the College of Southern California who has studied the protection historical past of the Boeing 737 line.The age of the worldwide fleet of 737-800 planes levels from about 5 years outdated to greater than 27 years outdated. A well-maintained passenger jet can fly 20 to 30 years and even longer. In step with the flight monitoring website online Flightradar24, the aircraft that crashed used to be 15 years outdated. Ryanair in Europe used to be the primary airline to function the airplane, which used to be leased to Jeju Air in 2017 by means of SMBC Aviation Capital, in line with Cirium.Officers mentioned they had been investigating the reason for the crash, together with the chance {that a} hen strike resulted in a touchdown tools malfunction.Boeing mentioned in a observation on Sunday that it used to be involved with Jeju Air and used to be able to assist the airline.Chicken moves aren’t unusual in aviation. In some instances, they’ve led to cracked windshields. Some airports deploy falcons and take different measures to stay their skies transparent of birds. Muan World Airport, the place the crash took place, makes use of measures equivalent to enjoying audio of misery calls to disperse birds in addition to taking pictures them, in line with the Korean Administrative center of Civil Aviation.Mr. Meshkati mentioned that the touchdown tools of the 737-800 line is easily designed and has a historical past of reliability, even though deficient repairs may lead to it no longer deploying as it should be. “Upkeep is actually one of the necessary reasons of aviation injuries,” he mentioned.However Mr. Meshkati and different aviation professionals cautioned towards speeding to judgment about such incidents. Crashes are ceaselessly led to by means of a couple of components, which will take years to discover thru in-depth investigations.Display extra