Doomed South Korean plane ‘flew a gruelling 13 flights in just 48hrs before crash’ sparking fears jet was overworked

THE doomed Jeju Air flight that crashed in South Korea killing 179 people made a whopping 13 flights in the 48-hour period before it crashed.

It reportedly travelled to five different international destinations before smashing onto the tarmac at Muan International Airport on Sunday.

Industry experts have raised concerns about whether the Boeing 737-800, Flight 7C2216, may have over extended itself by scheduling too many flights during the peak holiday season.

It was reportedly used for a journey between Muam, Jeju Island and Incheon, which is west of Seoul, South Korean news agency Yonhap reports.

It also travelled to Beijing, Bangkok, Kota Kinabalu, Nagasaki and Taipei.

The Jeju aircraft worked as a charter flight for group tours – mostly run by a Gwangju-based travel firm which offered Christmas trips to Bangkok.

Commercial flight tracking data available online shows the jet travelling to the Chinese capital on December 27.

Addressing fears about whether the airline was overstretched, one travel industry official told Yonhap: “In the case of regional airports, there are very few regular flight routes, so they often rely on charter operations.

“Since most airlines operating at regional airports are low-cost carriers, the majority of charter flights are run by these airlines.”

Jeju Air has one of the highest average monthly plane uses among domestic airlines.

According to the airline’s own data the average monthly flight time for each Jeju aircraft came in at 418 hours between July and September.

This marked the highest out of six domestic low-cost air carriers in South Korea.

Korean Air, for example, had 355, while Asiana Airlines had 335.

Only two of the 181 people onboard the Jeju Air flight survived Sunday’s crash, when the plane skidded onto the runway before exploding.

With no landing gear the enormous jet scraped along the tarmac at record speed before smashing into a concrete wall and erupting in a huge fireball.

The seats that held the two survivors have since been revealed.

Both were members of the cabin crew who were sitting at the back of the plane when it crashed.

The tail was the only portion of it not destroyed, with pictures showing it to be the only remaining piece of wreckage after the blast.

Muan fire chief Lee Jung-hyun, who worked on extinguishing the blaze, said: “Only the tail part retains a little bit of shape, and the rest of [the plane] looks almost impossible to recognise.”

Cabin crew seats are often at the front and back of the plane.

Most casualties and deaths sustained during plane crashes happen at the front.

On Boeing 737-800s, fold-down seats for staff are put next to the rear doors.

This is where the 33-year-old male flight attendant and his female colleague, 25, were found.

The young man, only identified by his surname, Lee, was rushed to hospital after the disaster.

According to his doctors, he woke up disorientated and asked: “What happened, why am I here?”

He told medics he had been wearing a seat belt before the crash, but could not remember anything after that.

It is understood Lee was in charge of passenger service at the back of the Boeing 737-800.

He suffered a fractured left shoulder and injuries to his head and was rushed to a hospital in Mokpo before being transferred to Ewha Woman’s University Hospital in Seoul, where he woke up.

Meanwhile the female flight attendant is being treated for scalp lacerations and ankle fractures at Asan Medical Center in eastern Seoul.

Investigators are desperately trying to piece together what caused the harrowing crash – one of the worst aviation disasters in South Korea’s history.

Tragically many bodies were badly damaged in the crash – making it challenging for authorities to identify victims.

Officials have been accused of “neglecting” the remains of victims and leaving bodies on the floor of the hangar in the aftermath of the crash.

The head of the bereaved family council of the Jeju Airplane disaster lashed out at authorities for failing to quickly install freezers.

He said: “Unlike the government promised, the victims’ remains are being neglected.

“The government promised to install freezers to manage the remains, but the installation was delayed and the remains were left on the floor of the hangar.

“The staff accompanied by the deputy prime minister reported that the freezer installation was going well, but this was not true.”

Officials are believed to have recovered more than 600 body parts as they deal with the aftermath of the horror crash.

Dozens of grieving relatives have been camped at the airport since the crash, desperately waiting to see the bodies of their loved ones.

One heartbroken man at the scene asked police: “Can you promise that they will be put back together?”

Many of those on the flight were returning from Christmas holidays in Thailand.