SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s government said on Monday it would extend the closure of Muan International Airport by a week until Jan. 14, citing an ongoing investigation into the crash of a Jeju Air plane that killed 179 passengers.
The airport was due to reopen on Tuesday after the December 29 crash.
A joint investigation team is stepping up its investigation into South Korea’s deadliest air crash. Two Korean investigators will travel to the United States on Monday with flight data recorders for analysis with the US National Transportation Safety Board.
The flight data recorders, along with the cockpit voice recorders, are the two black boxes that contain critical information about the accident.
Investigators on Saturday compiled a full transcript from the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage of the Jeju Air Boeing (NYSE: ) 737-800. It is not clear whether he will release the transcript.
Investigators recovered two of the plane’s engines over the weekend, while a representative from engine manufacturer GE joined the investigation. The Ministry of Transport has extended until Jan. 10 its inspections of all Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Jeju Air and the country’s five other airlines, including their maintenance records.
