Passenger Plane Fire at Gimhae Airport... All Passengers Safely Evacuated
Air Busan: "We Apologize for Causing Concern, Will Ensure Thorough Follow-up Measures"
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Forms Response Team: "Thorough Investigation and Improvement of Cause"
Air Busan announced on the 29th that it is operating an emergency response team in relation to the passenger plane fire accident that occurred at Busan Gimhae International Airport on the 28th.
On the afternoon of the 28th, firefighters are extinguishing a fire inside Air Busan flight BX391, bound for Hong Kong, which was preparing for takeoff at Gimhae Airport apron with 170 passengers and 6 crew members on board. An air slide is deployed on the left side of the passenger plane. Photo by Yonhap News
In a press release on the same day, Air Busan said, "We apologize for causing concern to all those affected by the in-flight fire," and added, "An initial response team and an emergency response team are operating under the supervision of the CEO, and we will make every effort to take follow-up measures." Furthermore, they stated, "We provided transportation expenses for returning home to domestic passengers and accommodation support to foreign passengers," they added.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and fire authorities, the fire occurred at around 10:15 p.m. the previous day on Air Busan flight BX391 from Hong Kong, which was preparing for takeoff at the Gimhae Airport apron. It was confirmed to be an Airbus A321-200 aircraft with 17 years of service.
The departure of the aircraft was delayed by about 20 minutes. During that time, the fire reportedly started in the overhead bin for luggage at the rear of the cabin. There were a total of 176 people on board, including 169 passengers, 6 crew members, and 1 maintenance technician, all of whom safely evacuated using the emergency slides. However, three people sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process, and two of them were transported to a hospital for treatment. The fire was completely extinguished at 11:31 p.m., 1 hour and 16 minutes after it started.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport formed a central accident response headquarters led by the Director of Aviation Policy. Seven officials, including aviation policy officers and investigators from the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board, were dispatched to the scene. At the accident site, a regional accident response headquarters is being operated under the leadership of Lee Jin-cheol, Director of the Busan Regional Aviation Administration. A ministry official stated, "In consultation with the police and fire departments, we will keep all possibilities open regarding the cause of the accident and conduct a thorough investigation."
Currently, Gimhae Airport has closed three parking stands around the accident aircraft out of 40 aircraft parking stands. Flights are operating normally except for eight Air Busan flights out of the 279 flights scheduled for the day.
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