A huge fire broke out on an Air Busan Airbus A321-231 aircraft at the Gimhae International Airport in South Korea on Tuesday night, prompting all 176 people on board, including 169 passengers and seven crew members to be evacuated.
The plane was preparing for departure to Hong Kong when the fire was reported in its tail. The incident occurred at 10.15pm local time (1315 GMT).
The passengers were evacuated using inflatable slides and the fire was extinguished quickly. No official statement has been made so far regarding the cause of the fire, but local media reported that it started in the aircraft’s tail section.
A clear picture of the Air Busan Airbus A321-231 aircraft fuselage shows the beyond recovery damage of the hull following an empennage fire that spread to the other parts at Busan Gimhae Airport Apron of South Korea, during preparations for the departure to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG).
Due to the fire, two flights, an Eastar Jet flight to Taiwan and a Jin Air flight to the Philippines, were delayed by about 40 minutes each.
The South Korean Ministry of Transport intensified its investigation and response after the fire incident on the Air Busan flight 391.
Ministry established a Central HQ led by Aviation Policy Director Joo Jong-wan and a Regional HQ led by Busan Aviation Director Lee Jin-cheol.
The Airbus Plane with registration HL7763, built in October 2007, flew for Asiana Airlines until May 2017, then the aircraft was transferred to Air Busan.
Prior to this fire event on 28 January, 2025, Air Busan had a 12-year accident-free streak with over 100,000 flights.
This fire hazard involving an aircraft follows the tragic crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 on December 29, 2024, which resulted in 179 fatalities after an emergency landing due to a suspected bird strike, the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil in recent history.
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