Air Busan Airbus catches fire at South Korean airport

(CLO) An Airbus plane belonging to Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday evening at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, southern South Korea, while preparing to depart for Hong Kong, according to information from the fire department.

All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated in time. Three people suffered minor injuries, the Busan fire department said.

Air Busan plane on fire. Photo: X

The fire was discovered at around 10:30 p.m. local time and started at the tail of the plane, according to the fire department. YTN television broadcast video showing emergency slides deployed on both sides of the fuselage, while rescuers worked to extinguish the smoke and flames on the plane.

Images from Yonhap news agency show the roof of the plane's fuselage burned and punctured in several sections.

The incident comes just a month after South Korea’s worst air disaster in years. A Jeju Air plane crashed during an emergency landing at Muan airport, killing 179 of the 181 passengers and crew on board.

Air Busan is a low-cost airline owned by Asiana Airlines. In December 2024, Asiana was acquired by Korean Air, marking a major merger in the Korean airline industry.

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus said it was aware of the incident and was working with Air Busan to investigate. However, neither Air Busan nor Asiana Airlines have yet to comment. Korean Air, Air Busan's parent company, has referred all inquiries about the incident to Air Busan.

According to the Aviation Safety Network's aviation database, the plane that crashed was an Airbus A321ceo model, manufactured 17 years ago and bearing the registration number HL7763.

Cao Phong (according to Yonhap, Reuters, YTN)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/may-bay-boc-chay-tai-san-bay-han-quoc-post332366.html