Fire erupts on Air Busan jet before takeoff, prompting emergency evacuation

A passenger aircraft belonging to Air Busan was completely destroyed by fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea.

The incident, reported by Yonhap on January 28, occurred just before takeoff as the plane prepared for its flight to Hong Kong, per Caliber.Az.

According to the fire department, the blaze started in the tail section of the aircraft at approximately 22:26 local time before spreading rapidly. Emergency responders arrived at the scene, and all 169 passengers and seven crew members were safely evacuated via inflatable slides. However, three individuals sustained minor injuries during the evacuation.

Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire.

This incident comes just weeks after another aviation disaster in South Korea. On December 29, 2024, a Jeju Air flight crashed while landing at Muang Airport. According to preliminary findings, the aircraft suffered a landing gear failure, causing it to impact the runway on its fuselage before coming to a stop. The crash resulted in the deaths of 179 people, with only two crew members surviving. Investigators later discovered bird feathers in the plane’s engines, suggesting a bird strike may have contributed to the disaster. The country declared a seven-day national mourning period in response.

Another aviation tragedy occurred on December 25, 2024, when an Embraer 190 aircraft operating flight J2-8243 from Baku to Grozny crashed near Aktau during an emergency landing attempt. Of the 67 people on board — comprising 62 passengers and five crew members — 38 lost their lives, while 29 survived. The passengers included Azerbaijani, Russian, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz nationals.

Reports suggest the aircraft was shot down by a Russian "Pantsir-S1" air defence system. Initially, Russia attempted to obscure the true cause of the crash, but subsequent investigations confirmed the missile strike. The individuals responsible for launching the attack and issuing the order have since been identified.

By Tamilla Hasanova