Latest news with #AirbusA321ceo
Roya News
14-03-2025
- Roya News
VIDEO: South Korean authorities link plane fire to portable power bank
South Korean authorities have suggested that a portable power bank was likely the cause of a fire that engulfed and destroyed an Air Busan passenger plane in January. The aircraft, an Airbus A321ceo, caught fire on January 28 at Gimhae International Airport in the country's south. While all passengers and crew were evacuated safely, three individuals sustained minor injuries. In an update on Friday, South Korea's transport ministry stated that preliminary findings indicate the fire may have started due to insulation failure within a power bank battery. The charred remains of the device were found in an overhead luggage compartment—where the fire was first detected—showing clear scorch marks. However, investigators have not yet determined what caused the battery failure. These findings remain part of an ongoing investigation and do not constitute the final accident report, the ministry added. - Stricter airline policies on power banks - Lithium-ion batteries, which power portable chargers, have long been a safety concern for airlines due to their potential to overheat and catch fire if damaged or defective. Since 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has banned lithium-ion batteries from being stored in passenger plane cargo holds. Most airlines already prohibit power banks in checked luggage, requiring passengers to carry them onboard instead. However, in the wake of the Air Busan fire, the airline has taken further precautions. A week after the incident, it introduced new rules barring passengers from keeping power banks in their carry-on luggage. The airline cited a rise in overheating incidents as the reason for the change. Other carriers are following suit. Major airlines such as China Airlines and Thai Airways have already implemented similar measures, while Singapore Airlines and its budget subsidiary, Scoot, will prohibit the use and charging of power banks onboard starting April 1.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Power bank likely caused S Korea plane fire
A portable power bank likely caused a fire that engulfed and destroyed a passenger plane in South Korea in January, according to local authorities. The Air Busan plane caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in the country's south on 28 January – causing three people on board to sustain minor injuries. On Friday, South Korea's transport ministry said that interim investigation results indicate the fire may have started because insulation inside a power bank battery had broken down. The power bank was found in an overhead luggage compartment where the fire was first detected, and its debris had scorch marks, according to the statement. Investigators could not say what may have caused the battery breakdown, it added. The update is also based only on interim findings, and is not a final accident report on the aircraft, an Airbus A321ceo. Airlines around the world have banned power banks from checked luggage for years due to safety concerns, which relate to the lithium-ion batteries inside the devices. These batteries can produce extreme heat and fire if damage or manufacturing faults cause them to short circuit. Lithium-ion batteries of any kind have been banned from the cargo holds of passenger planes since 2016, as per a directive by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. In the week after the Air Busan fire, the airline tightened those rules further, announcing that it would no longer allow passengers to keep power banks in their onboard luggage. The carrier said the new rules were in response to an increase in the number of power banks that were overheating. A growing number of airlines – including China Airlines and Thai Airways - are rolling out similar rules, with Singapore Airlines and its low-cost unit Scoot set to become the latest to ban the use and charging of power banks onboard from 1 April. On 28 February, the South Korean government also announced that passengers boarding flights in the country would be required to carry portable batteries and chargers on their person, rather than storing them in overhead compartments.
Asharq Al-Awsat
14-03-2025
- Automotive
- Asharq Al-Awsat
South Korea Says Battery Pack Is Possible Cause of Air Busan Fire
A spare power bank is a possible cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January, South Korea's transport ministry said on Friday, citing interim investigation results. Scorch marks on the debris of a power bank found where the fire was first detected indicate the blaze may have started because insulation inside the battery had broken down, the statement said. Investigators cannot yet state what may have caused the breakdown, however, according to the statement. Lithium batteries in devices such as laptops, mobile phones, electronic cigarettes and power banks can produce smoke, fire or extreme heat when manufacturing faults or damage cause them to short circuit. No abnormalities in the plane's own electrical systems have been identified, the statement said. The fire on Jan. 28 was first detected in a luggage bin above row 30 on the left side of the plane about 20 minutes after the delayed flight to Hong Kong from Busan, in South Korea, had been scheduled to depart, investigators have said. All 170 passengers and six crew were evacuated from the Airbus A321ceo plane, which the fire destroyed. South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board is leading the investigation. Friday's investigation update is not a final accident report, which states are obliged to produce within a year of an incident, according to global aviation standards. Aviation has long recognized lithium batteries as a safety concern, and rules are periodically tightened in response to accidents. From March 1, South Korea changed rules on carrying batteries onboard flights, including keeping power banks and e-cigarettes with passengers and not in overhead bins, and not charging devices on board. Last year three incidents every two weeks of overheating lithium batteries on planes were recorded globally by the US Federal Aviation Administration, compared to just under one a week in 2018.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
On-site investigation of burned-out Air Busan plane to begin
SEOUL (Reuters) - Passengers evacuated from an Air Busan plane that was engulfed in flames this week at a South Korean airport will have their checked baggage returned to them, after authorities on Friday deemed the jet safe for a full investigation. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated from the Airbus A321ceo using emergency slides after the fire broke out on Tuesday, with only a few minor injuries, Air Busan said. The fire, which began about 10:15 p.m. (1315 GMT) as the single-aisle jet was preparing for departure to Hong Kong, was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane, an Air Busan spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. Authorities on Friday conducted a risk assessment of the plane, which still had a large amount of fuel and oxygen onboard. The burned-out jet remains on the tarmac at Gimhae International Airport in the southern city of Busan. The transport ministry on Friday said the 35,900 lbs (16,280 kg) of jet fuel do not need to be offloaded, and other hazardous materials such as oxygen tanks will be secured. The plane will be covered by a canopy to protect it during the inspection, which will begin on Monday. Baggage in the cargo hold was removed on Friday, the ministry said. The incident came a month after the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil, when a Jeju Air plane crashed on Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. Air Busan's single-aisle 17-year-old plane has burnt out holes along the length of the fuselage roof. Its wings and engines were not burned, a transport ministry statement said. South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board is leading the investigation, and was joined on Thursday by representatives of France's BEA air accident investigation agency. France is the state of design for Airbus planes. Budget airline Air Busan is part of South Korea's Asiana Airlines, which in December was acquired by Korean Air. Air Busan shares closed down 3.2% on Friday after dropping as much as 6.1%, following a four-day holiday break.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Investigators cautious of jet fuel still aboard wrecked South Korean plane
SEOUL (Reuters) - An investigation into a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane at a South Korean airport this week is being slowed by a large amount of fuel and oxygen still on board, an air crash investigation official told Reuters. Authorities on Friday conducted a risk management assessment ahead of a full investigation of the burned-out Airbus A321ceo plane which remains on the tarmac at Gimhae International Airport in the southern city of Busan. The fire, which began around 10:15 p.m. (1315 GMT) on Tuesday as the jet was preparing for departure to Hong Kong, was first detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin in the rear left-hand side of the plane, an Air Busan spokesperson told Reuters on Friday. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. All 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated using emergency slides after the fire broke out, with only a few minor injuries, Air Busan said. The incident came a month after the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil when a Jeju Air plane crashed on Muan Airport's runway as it made an emergency belly landing, killing all but two of the 181 people on board. FUEL HAZARD Air Busan's single-aisle 17-year-old plane has burnt out holes along the length of the fuselage roof. Its wings and engines were not burned, a transport ministry statement said. The plane still contains around 35,900 lbs (16,280 kg) of jet fuel and other hazardous materials such as oxygen tanks, the transport ministry said on a statement on Thursday. Authorities need to decide whether the fuel needs to be offloaded before a full investigation begins, the ministry said. South Korea's Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board is leading the investigation, and was joined on Thursday by representatives of France's BEA air accident investigation agency. France is the state of design for Airbus planes.
