Air Busan Plane Catches Fire at South Korea’s Gimhae Airport, All Passengers Safely Evacuated

SEOUL – A fire broke out on an Airbus A321 belonging to South Korean budget airline Air Busan on Jan 28 while it was preparing for departure to Hong Kong at Gimhae International Airport. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated, with only one person sustaining a minor injury, according to fire authorities in Busan. The injured passenger was taken to a hospital for treatment.

The fire, which reportedly started in the tail section of the aircraft, was swiftly extinguished by emergency responders. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. This incident comes a month after South Korea’s deadliest air disaster in recent history, when a Jeju Air flight from Bangkok crashed during an emergency landing at Muan Airport, claiming the lives of nearly all 181 people on board.

Air Busan, a subsidiary of Asiana Airlines, operates as a budget carrier. Asiana was recently acquired by Korean Air, consolidating South Korea’s airline industry. Airbus, the manufacturer of the A321 model, stated that it is aware of the incident and is working with Air Busan to gather information.