1. Reason for proposal

The Airport Facilities Act has been revised (Law No. 20291; promulgated on February 13, 2024; implemented on August 14, 2024) to strengthen the prevention of ground safety accidents within airport protection zones and to compensate those who incur losses in the process of repelling drones that fly illegally around airports. The revisions have been proposed to newly stipulate the entities that must comply with detailed safety management standards within the airport facility protection zones and the levels of sanctions against violations, and also to provide matters delegated by the Act, such as criteria, amounts, and procedures for compensating losses inflicted on victims in the process of repelling illegally flying drones, and other matters necessary for their implementation.

2. Main contents

a. It defines “corporations, institutions or organizations to which workers entering the airport facility protection zones” belong as aviation-related service entities. (Newly established Article 4-3 of the Draft)

b. It provides detailed safety management standards with which aviation-related service entities and their employees must comply in order to prevent ground safety accidents, etc. (Article 35-2 of the Draft)

c. It prescribes the targets to be compensated, the criteria for and amounts of loss compensation, the procedure for loss compensation, and the procedure for exercising recourse right for loss compensation when the state, local governments, or airport operators, etc. are required to compensate losses pursuant to Article 56-3 of the Act. (Newly established Articles 50-2 to 50-5, Appendix 1, and Appendix 1-2 of the Draft)

d. It prescribes the amount of fines to be imposed for violations of the safety management standards with which aviation-related service entities and their employees must comply. (Appendix 3 of the Draft)