The ministry also said in a statement it would ban all foreign aircraft with PW4000 engines from operating in South Korean airspace from Thursday.

Finally, the ministry said it ordered local carriers Korean Air, Asiana Airlines and Jin Air to have fan blades of the PW4000 engines in a total of 29 Boeing 777s in their fleets inspected by manufacturer Pratt & Whitney before the aircraft can be cleared for flight again, in line with an earlier U.S. Federal Aviation Administration directive.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; editing by Jason Neely)