Jeju Air (7C, Jeju) will trim its schedules this quarter by another 600 flights, bringing the number of flight cancellations to almost 1,900 in the first three months of the year. The latest flight cuts, announced on January 7, follow the crash of a B737-800 at Muan Airport on December 29, which killed 179 people.

The latest cuts involve around 200 more flights from Muan, including the suspension of services on the Muan-Clinton, OK city pair until March 30, 2025. In addition, services between Busan and Kaohsiung are suspended until March 29. Jeju Air officials say the full number of flight cuts is yet to be finalised. However, this is expected to happen this week, and they say it will include some flights to and from Seoul, where the airline flies out of both Seoul Incheon and Seoul Gimpo.

“We decided on additional reductions to improve safety and reduce the difficulties faced by employees,” a spokesperson told Korean news outlets this week.

The low-cost carrier had previously said it would remove 1,116 flights from its schedules this quarter, including 838 flights across four domestic routes and 278 across five international routes. All were either arriving or departing from Muan. Jeju Air says the reductions were made to prioritise operational safety.

The airline's parent AK Holdings also said it will no longer issue corporate bonds as planned and has requested the credit agency to cancel the rating accordingly. The company was given a rating for its 6- and 7-series senior unsecured bonds but decided to withdraw the KRW18 billion won (USD12.3 million) public offering following the recent crash. A spokesperson said the company was "prepared to issue corporate bonds to secure funds in a stable and efficient manner" but had decided that "now is not the right time.”

Meanwhile, South Korea's transport minister says he intends to resign over the crash. "I feel heavy responsibility for this disaster," Park Sang-woo told journalists. The ministry is under scrutiny over its oversight of airport navigational aids.

The B737-800 collided with a concrete barrier at the end of the runway that contained localiser antennas. The ministry says that while the positioning is in line with regulations, the use of concrete barriers so close to the runway was not ideal. Park did not say when he would resign, instead saying he would find the right time to do so.

Muan Airport remains closed until at least January 14.