KAL overseas maintenance is now being called into question
(from the "Korea Herald" January 27, 2000):

KAL urged to overhaul maintenance system

Korean Air (KAL), the country's No. 1 flag carrier, has been urged to improve its maintenance systems at overseas airports,
according to the Ministry of Construction and Transportation.

The ministry said it has recently advised KAL to increase outsourcing of maintenance to on-scene repairmen and reduce the frequency of sending maintenance staff to foreign airports.

The advice by the ministry came when earlier this month it began to scrutinize all planes of accident-ridden KAL for a six-month special safety checkup.

KAL's airplanes are currently serviced mostly by resident KAL maintenance staff at 34 overseas airports, including Los Angeles International Airport, or KAL repairmen dispatched from Seoul at 23 other airports in Saigon, Nagasaki and Standsted.

The government urged the carrier to reduce the number of airports serviced by dispatched staff to seven, including the airports in Nagasaki, Colombo and Brussels, while increasing the number of stationed staff-serviced airports to 43.

In particular, the ministry advised KAL to completely outsource maintenance to foreign carriers at 12 airports. Currently, KAL fully assigns maintenance to foreigners only at Frankfurt Airport.