An Airbus plane belonging to South Korean carrier Air Busan has caught fire on a runway at Gimhae international airport in the country’s south while preparing for departure to Hong Kong, fire authorities said on Tuesday.
All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated, with three having minor injuries, fire authorities in Busan said.
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the fire began inside the plane’s tail.
Footage aired by local broadcaster YTN showed evacuation slides deployed on both sides of the single-aisle plane, with emergency workers tackling smoke and flames coming from the jet.
Later footage from Yonhap showed burnt-out holes along the length of the fuselage roof.
It is a month since the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil when a Jeju Air plane coming from Bangkok crashed on Muan airport’s runway as it made an emergency belly landing, killing all but two of the 181 people and crew members onboard.
Budget airline Air Busan is part of South Korea’s Asiana Airlines, which in December was acquired by Korean Air.
Planemaker Airbus said it was aware of reports about the incident and was liaising with Air Busan.
Air Busan and Asiana did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Korean Air directed inquiries to Air Busan.
The plane is a 17-year-old Airbus A321ceo model with tail number HL7763, according to the Aviation Safety Network, a respected database run by the Flight Safety Foundation.
Article by:Source: Reuters in Seoul
