A passenger aircraft bound for Hong Kong caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, just before takeoff, prompting a full-scale evacuation of 169 passengers.
On Tuesday night, Jan. 28, all 169 passengers, six crew members, and one maintenance worker aboard the Air Busan Airbus A321-200 were evacuated via inflatable slides, with seven people sustaining minor injuries.
Reports indicate that the fire started at the tail section around 10:26 p.m., just before the aircraft was set to depart. The flames were extinguished by 11:31 p.m., approximately an hour after the incident began, while the cause remains under investigation.
According to the ministry’s aviation technical information system, the aircraft had been in service for 17 years, below the ministry’s 20-year threshold for stricter inspections. The airline has also not recorded any accidents in the past 12 years.
This incident comes a month after the tragic crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 at Muan International Airport, which resulted in 179 fatalities. Preliminary investigations suggest that a bird strike may have led to dual-engine failure, contributing to the crash.
