No passengers hospitalized; flight departs nearly 3 hours late

[Photo: Air Seoul]
[Photo: Air Seoul]

A fire broke out aboard an Air Seoul aircraft at Incheon International Airport before takeoff Thursday, apparently triggered by a portable battery charger.

According to Yonhap, the fire occurred around 9 p.m. Thursday aboard Air Seoul flight RS511, which was preparing to depart Incheon for Da Nang, Vietnam.

The fire started in a bag stored under a passenger's seat, inside which a portable battery charger was found in a pouch.

Crew members immediately extinguished the fire, and fire trucks were dispatched to assess the situation and check on passengers.

Some passengers complained of respiratory discomfort, but none required hospitalization and no significant injuries were reported.

There were 221 passengers and seven crew members on board at the time. Many were families traveling to Da Nang for the Chuseok holiday.

Air Seoul evacuated all passengers and swapped in a replacement aircraft for safety checks, causing a delay of about two hours and 50 minutes. The replacement flight departed with 219 passengers — two had voluntarily chosen not to reboard.

Air Seoul and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire, noting that the passenger had taken short-circuit prevention measures on the battery before the incident.


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