The Ministry of Transportation and Construction says chances are high that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration would maintain the Category-One status for South Korea. An F-A-A delegation conducted a review of Korea's air safety standards from Monday through Wednesday.
A ministry spokesman said South Korea has so far done much to improve safety standards for its aviation industry. He said the government is optimistic about what the F-A-A will decide after the final inspection.
But analysts said chances of avoiding the F-A-A's downgrade looked only 50-50 as Korea's aviation authorities had made little progress in improving safety standards.
The F-A-A is scheduled to make a final ruling early next month.
The F-A-A recently warned South Korea about its safety standards and threatened a downgrade. That could bar Korean Air and Asiana Airlines from new U.S. routes.
If the F-A-A downgraded South Korea's aviation safety rating, Korean Air's plan to restore code-sharing with Delta Air Lines in September could be jeopardized.