Additional Medical Equipment Loaded on Aircraft During Infectious Disease Crisis Alert Level Severe

(Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The government will require aircraft to carry additional medical supplies for infection prevention during the severe stage of the crisis alert for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, and allow air transport operators facing deteriorated business conditions to defer or pay fines in installments.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 2nd that the Enforcement Decree and Enforcement Rules of the Aviation Safety Act, which include these measures, are scheduled to take effect on the 3rd.

First, when an infectious disease with a high risk of transmission such as COVID-19 occurs and the infectious disease crisis alert is raised to the severe stage, aircraft must carry additional infection prevention medical supplies to prevent the spread of infection onboard and protect passengers and crew.

Additionally, to strengthen the management of aircraft materials and parts, a fine of 10 million KRW can be imposed if the receipt inspection, quality standards, or shelf-life management standards of materials or parts used in aircraft are violated.

If the business conditions of airlines worsen due to natural disasters or disasters such as COVID-19, the payment deadline for fines can be extended up to one year or paid in up to three installments within one year, thereby reducing the burden on air transport operators.

Some fines imposed on operators for safety regulation violations (exceeding 300 million KRW) will be reduced to two-thirds of the current level within the scope where enforcement of safety regulations can be ensured, and the criteria for increasing or decreasing fines will be specified.

Violations caused by gross negligence will be penalized more strictly by adjusting the range of fine increases from the current half of the fine amount to two-thirds.

The scope of emergency flights for unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) used for public purposes will be expanded from wildfire suppression and prevention to include fire suppression and prevention of buildings, ships, and other structures.

Kim Sangdo, Director of the Aviation Policy Office at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, "We plan to continuously improve legislation to enhance compliance with safety regulations and operate a flexible aviation safety system that adapts to changes in the times and environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.