A recent plane fire incident has raised eyebrows in South Korea. The incident involved a Boeing 777 passenger plane belonging to Asiana Airlines that caught fire during a test flight. The plane, which had been parked at an airport in Seoul, was not in service at the time and there were no casualties.
The fire started in one of the plane's engines on the afternoon of February 26th. Videos of the incident, which have been widely circulated on social media, show flames and black smoke billowing from one of the aircraft's engines. Firefighters were quickly on the scene to extinguish the flames.
Asiana Airlines said in a statement that the plane had been undergoing a ground engine test when the fire broke out. The company also stated that the incident took place at a remote corner of Incheon International Airport, South Korea's largest airport, and did not affect any other flights or airport operations.
The airline has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the fire. It also said that it is fully cooperating with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other relevant authorities in their investigations. The incident has raised concerns about the safety of Boeing planes, which have been marred by a series of incidents in recent years.
Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company and a leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, has been under scrutiny over the safety of its planes following two crashes involving its 737 Max model in 2018 and 2019 that resulted in 346 deaths. The crashes led to a worldwide grounding of the model and a crisis for the company, with multiple investigations launched into its safety procedures and practices.
The recent fire incident in South Korea marks yet another setback for Boeing as it strives to rebuild its reputation and regain public trust. It is also a reminder of the critical importance of stringent safety measures and regulations in the aviation industry.