All South Korean airports will need to install bird detection cameras and thermal imaging radars, after an air crash in December last year killed 179 people.
The rollout is set to happen in 2026.
Investigators said last week that they had found evidence of a bird strike on the Boeing 737-800 plane – with feathers and blood stains found on both the plane’s engines.
An investigation into the crash – the deadliest on South Korean soil – is still ongoing but will focus on the role of the bird strike as well as a concrete structure at the end of the runway, which the plane slammed into after making an emergency landing.
“Bird detection radars will be installed at all airports to enhance early detection of distant birds and improve response capabilities for aircraft,” said the Ministry of Land in a statement on Thursday.
Bird detection radar detects the size of birds and their movement paths and relays this information to air traffic controllers.
The ministry added that all airports would also need to be equipped with at least one thermal imaging camera.
Currently only four airports in South Korea are equipped with thermal imaging cameras. It is unclear if any of them have bird detection radars in place.
Sites that attract birds, like rubbish dumps, must also be moved away from airports.
Credit: bbc.com
