Flames are seen in an overhead compartment of an Air Busan aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Jan. 28. Courtesy of reader
Passengers remain at odds with Air Busan over the appropriateness of the initial response to a fire aboard an Air Busan aircraft before taking off from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Tuesday. Some passengers claim that after the fire broke out, flight attendants failed to make an announcement, forcing them to open the emergency exits themselves.
However, Air Busan asserts that its crew followed fire response protocols and carried out the emergency evacuation promptly under the captain's direction.
The primary concern raised by passengers was the lack of a general announcement regarding the fire. They say that the crew should have immediately informed all passengers of the fire and provided instructions on whether and how to evacuate.
Some also expressed frustration that the evacuation procedures were not relayed quickly enough.
Air Busan contends that the situation was too urgent for an announcement. The airline explained that a crew member spotted the fire in the overhead compartment near the rear left side of the cabin and reported it immediately to the captain.
The airline says that multiple actions were occurring simultaneously, and ensuring a rapid assessment and evacuation decision was prioritized over making a general announcement.
Some passengers described the situation as chaotic, criticizing the crew's response to the fire as inadequate. One passenger recounted attempting to open the overhead bin and use a fire extinguisher but was stopped by the crew. As smoke spread, panic ensued in the cabin.
Air Busan maintains that its actions were aimed at ensuring passenger safety. The airline explained that opening the overhead bin without assessing the situation could have intensified the fire by allowing more oxygen to fuel the flames.
An Air Busan official said, “Opening the compartment could have caused the fire to spread rapidly due to increased oxygen supply.”
Flight attendants attempted to extinguish the fire using onboard fire extinguishers, but embers had already spread outside of the compartment. Given the escalating danger, the captain decided that emergency evacuation was necessary.
According to Air Busan, “Upon receiving the fire report, the captain shut down the hydraulic and fuel systems before declaring an emergency evacuation.”
Investigators conduct an on-site inspection for safety assurance at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap
Dispute over nature of emergency evacuation
Passengers and the airline also have differing accounts of the evacuation process. Some passengers argue that one passenger took the initiative to open an emergency exit on the side opposite the fire, enabling their escape. They believe the crew's delayed response forced them to evacuate on their own.
Air Busan refutes this claim, stating that the emergency exit procedure was conducted in accordance with the captain's declaration of an emergency evacuation.
The airline said that the passenger who opened the exit was fulfilling the role of an “evacuation assistant.”
"Passengers seated in the emergency exit row must agree to serve as evacuation assistants," an Air Busan official said. "Once the captain declares an emergency evacuation, those seated at the emergency exit are responsible for assessing the external situation, opening the exit and ensuring the evacuation slide deploys properly."
Passengers from the Air Busan aircraft that caught fire receive blankets and listen to explanations from the airline at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, Wednesday. Yonhap
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.