Authorities to begin joint probe of fire-destroyed Air Busan plane early next week

January 31, 2025

Authorities decided to begin a joint investigation of a fire-destroyed Air Busan plane early next week, officials said Friday, after completing safety checks on a large amount of fuel that is still stored at the wings of the plane.

The joint probe into the Air Busan Airbus plane, which is at the tarmac at Gimhae International Airport, will be conducted next Monday, according to officials at the transportation ministry.

The Air Busan plane bound for Hong Kong caught fire at the airport in the southern city of Busan before takeoff. All 176 people on board were safely evacuated using an escape slide, though seven suffered minor injuries.

“It was determined that the probe could be safely carried out without removing the fuel after conducting safety checks on the fuel tank and system,” said an official at the ministry’s investigation board.

The cause of the blaze was not yet known, though some raised the possibility of the fire having been caused by a portable battery or other items stored in an overhead bin.

The incident took place less than a month after a Jeju Air passenger plane crashed at Muan International Airport, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. It was the worst aviation disaster on South Korean soil.