An Airbus A321 operated by South Korea’s Air Busan caught fire on Tuesday at Gimhae International Airport, located in the southern part of the country, while preparing for its flight to Hong Kong, according to fire authorities.
All 169 passengers and seven crew members on board were safely evacuated. One person suffered a minor injury and was taken to the hospital, the authorities in Busan confirmed. The fire reportedly started in the tail section of the aircraft.
This incident comes exactly one month after South Korea experienced its deadliest air disaster in years, when a Jeju Air plane, arriving from Bangkok, crashed during an emergency belly landing at Muan Airport. Tragically, all but two of the 181 people aboard were killed.
Air Busan, a budget carrier, is part of Asiana Airlines, which was acquired by Korean Air in December. The aircraft involved in the fire is an Airbus A321, according to FlightRadar24 tracking data. Planemaker Airbus has stated that it is aware of the incident and is in contact with Air Busan to gather more details.