Jeju Air Co., South Korea's largest budget carrier, will initially cut nearly 1,880 flights in the first quarter, it said Wednesday, a move aimed at enhancing its operational safety following the recent crash of its Boeing 737-800 flight that left 179 people dead.

A Jeju Air 737-800 crash at Muan Airport claims hundreds of lives. Experts speculate bird strikes caused landing gear and engine failures.

A Jeju Air B737-800 carrying 181 people flying from Bangkok to Muan County in South Korea has tragically crashed on landing

Jeju Air, a low-cost South Korean airline, operates multiple flights between South Korea and Southeast Asia using its 38-strong Boeing 737-800 fleet minus HL8088. 7C also has two Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. MXW has temporarily halted operations as authorities investigate the cause of the accident.

South Korea’s leading low-cost carrier, heavy with debt and its stock already near record lows, is now facing intense public and government scrutiny.

After a Jeju Air plane crash-landed in southwestern South Korea in December 2024, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, a clip was shared in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed footage from inside the passenger cabin before the crash.

South Korea’s transport minister is resigning because he feels “heavy responsibility” for the Jeju Air crash that killed 179 people last month. A Jeju Air aircraft carrying 181 passengers and crew crashed at the Muan international airport on 29 December in what was the country’s worst air disaster.