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Transport Ministry investigates Eastar after plane lands with partially opened cargo door

Published: 26 Nov. 2025, 19:13

An Eastar passenger jet [YONHAP]

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has launched an investigation after it was confirmed that an Eastar Jet flight bound for Jeju landed with its forward cargo door partially open.

Flight ZE217 departed from Gimpo at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. The aircraft was carrying 177 passengers, and no safety issues were reported, as the cabin pressurization system was functioning normally.

However, the partially opened cargo door resulted in the aircraft requiring inspection and finding a replacement for the next passengers. Two subsequent connecting flights were also delayed by 52 minutes and 114 minutes, respectively.

Authorities believe that the door did not open midflight but are still investigating the exact cause.

If the pressurization system had malfunctioned, the aircraft would have experienced in-flight decompression, triggering emergency procedures like the deployment of oxygen masks — none of which occurred. A ministry official suggested that the door’s locking mechanism may have been damaged during landing.

Because a door warning light turned on shortly after takeoff, the ministry will also examine if the flight crew followed proper procedures and if any issues occurred during maintenance.

Eastar Jet said preflight inspections revealed no abnormalities, and since “the aircraft structure does not allow the door to open while in the air,” the door likely opened immediately after landing due to a faulty locking component.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]