Hong Kong bound Air Busan Airbus A321 catches fire in South Korea
- All 170 passengers and crew evacuated, and there were no casualties, according to authorities.
A fire broke out in the tail section of an Air Busan A321 aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday evening, forcing the evacuation of all 170 passengers and crew.
A fire broke out in the tail section of an Air Busan A321 aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, at around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday. 1 All 170 passengers and crew were safely evacuated from the plane, and there were no reported injuries.
The fire reportedly originated in the tail section of the Air Busan aircraft and spread toward the fuselage before being extinguished by emergency services by 11:31 PM
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According to Airt Live, the Air Busan aircraft, bound for Hong Kong, carried 176 people: 169 passengers and 7 crew members. All managed to escape via emergency exits.
The Korea Herald initially reported no injuries; however, authorities later confirmed that three passengers sustained minor, non-life-threatening injuries during the evacuation process.
While the fire started at the tail of the plane, it appeared to have spread to the fuselage of the craft.
A fire official said the fire apparently started inside the tail end of the plane.
Air Busan, a low-cost airline and subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, has been operational since 2008 and serves both domestic and international routes.
The airline has seen substantial growth in passenger traffic over the years.
South Korea has faced several significant aviation accidents over the years, with the recent Jeju Air crash marking one of the deadliest in its history. On December 29, 2024, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Muan International Airport, resulting in the tragic loss of 179 lives out of 181 on board.
The plane reportedly failed to deploy its landing gear and collided with a concrete barrier before bursting into flames, leading to widespread devastation. Investigations into the incident have revealed potential factors such as bird strikes and structural issues at the airport.
In light of this recent fire incident, Airbus has stated that it is monitoring the situation and collaborating with Air Busan to investigate the cause of the fire