Air Busan A321 Catches Fire at Gimhae Airport, South Korea

On the night of January 28, 2025, an Air Busan Airbus A321, registered as HL7763, caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea. The aircraft, preparing for departure as flight BX391 to Hong Kong, was carrying 169 passengers and seven crew members. At approximately 10:26 p.m. local time, smoke and flames were observed emanating from the tail section of the plane while it was on the taxiway.

Emergency services responded promptly to the fire, ensuring the evacuation of all 176 occupants via emergency slides. While there were no fatalities, three passengers sustained minor injuries during the evacuation process. The swift actions of the crew and emergency personnel are credited with preventing a more severe outcome.

Preliminary reports suggest the fire originated in the tail section of the aircraft, where the auxiliary power unit (APU) is located. However, the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation. Witnesses reported seeing smoke billowing from the tail, and the flames quickly spread to the fuselage. Firefighters arrived at the scene and managed to extinguish the fire by 11:31 p.m.

Images and videos captured by witnesses highlight significant damage to the passenger cabin, with emergency personnel working diligently to control the situation. The runway at Gimhae International Airport has been temporarily closed to facilitate inspection and repairs.

This incident follows a tragic aviation disaster in South Korea just a month earlier. On December 29, 2024, a Jeju Air Boeing 737 crashed during an emergency belly landing at Muan Airport, resulting in 179 fatalities out of 181 passengers. The back-to-back nature of these incidents has sparked renewed concerns about aviation safety in the country, though no connection between the two has been identified.

Officials have expressed relief that the Air Busan incident did not result in any fatalities, praising the rapid response by both the crew and emergency teams. Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing, and findings are anticipated to provide insight into measures needed to enhance aviation safety.

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