T'way Air, Air Premia, Korean Air face safety probes ahead of peak travel season

T'way Air, Air Premia and Korean Air are facing safety probes from the transport ministry amid their repeated flight delays, which have caused massive inconveniences to hundreds of passengers, according to government officials and aviation industry watchers Monday. The latest in a series of such controversies was sparked by a Korean Air flight from Incheon to Taiwan's city of Taizhong on Saturday afternoon. The passenger jet carrying 125 passengers made an emergency return about halfway through its trip, after an equipment defect was detected. The airline ended up delaying the flight to the following day. Other airlines also caused discomfort to customers for their similar flight delays. T'way Air, a Seoul-based low-cost carrier (LCC), has particularly drawn a huge backlash for its frequent delays, raising doubts as to whether the company is qualified to launch four European routes soon. The carrier won the license as part of a precondition for Korean Air's takeover of Asiana Airlines. T'way Air came under fire for delaying a total of five flights only for the past two weeks. The airline's flight from Osaka to Incheon on June 13 was delayed for 11 hours due to a defect. Air Premia has also drawn criticism for its frequent flight delays. The LCC has rescheduled its overseas flights repeatedly for reasons — such as maintenance of its aircraft.<br/>