Korean Air headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, visited on the 23rd. Entering the 8th-floor General Co.. – MK

Korean Air headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, visited on the 23rd. Entering the 8th-floor General Control Center (OCC), a large screen measuring 18 meters wide and 1.5 meters long filled a wall surface of the 330-pyeong building.

On the largest screen in the center of the screen, Korean Air aircraft currently in service were moving in real time, drawing a trajectory. Korean Air flies about 400 aircraft a day on average. More than 240 aviation experts put their heads together at the OCC, called the “control room on the ground,” to monitor operational conditions and respond to abnormal situations so that these aircraft can arrive safely at their destinations. The OCC has employees 24 hours a day, so the lights don’t go out 365 days a year.

On the 23rd, Korean Air unveiled key facilities for safe operation, including the OCC of its headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, as well as maintenance hangars, cabin training centers, and aviation medical centers, to the media for the first time.

“More than 80% of Korean Air’s 20,000 employees are safety-related,” said Korean Air President Yu Ki-hong, who introduced Korean Air’s safe operation culture on the day. “The comprehensive control center and air operation are not just pilots, but safe operation is possible only when transportation, operation, and cabin factors are communicated.”

In December last year, Korean Air completely remodeled its headquarters building to establish a comprehensive control center equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. An accident in which a Korean Air aircraft left the runway (overrun) in Cebu in 2022 was the trigger. Immediately after the accident, Korean Air received safety diagnosis consulting through a global evaluation agency, which was diagnosed as urgent to supplement. As a result, the company re-established its safety culture with a renewed mind and built an OCC equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.

OCC has a total of four centers, including a flight management center, a maintenance support center, an onboard management center, and a network operation center. The maintenance support center, which had been separated so far, joined the OCC to increase the efficiency of decision-making.

사진 확대

The airline industry has quickly picked up steam as passenger demand has exploded since the end of the pandemic, but accidents are also occurring frequently. The recent accident in which a Singapore Airlines flight encountered turbulence and killed one passenger is raising passengers’ anxiety about safety issues.

It is also the role of the OCC to predict such a turbulence and determine the best route. Find the safest route out of the numerous routes to the destination and establish a flight plan in advance. Areas where jet air currents caused by temperature differences in the air are frequent in the past analyze data to find routes and altitudes to avoid them. Nevertheless, when a sudden change in airflow is detected, real-time data is collected from the pilot in operation.

“Nearly 90% of turbulence can be predicted in advance, but expectations of intensity are sometimes wrong,” said Lee Seung-yong, vice head of the General Control Headquarters and managing director of Korean Air, adding, “For this reason, it is also important to respond to safety in the cabin.” Korean Air is shortening in-flight service time and guiding passengers to wear seat belts in areas where frequent turbulence occurs. In case of turbulence, the plane can suddenly descend 50 to 100 meters in severe cases.

Korean Air, which is set to merge with Asiana Airlines at the end of the year, said it would prioritize safe operation even after the launch of the integrated airline. Yoo Jong-seok, vice president (CSO) of Korean Air’s safety and health division, stressed, “Korean Air’s aviation safety standards are the highest, and even when integrating with Asiana Airlines, integration in the safety sector should be the first.”