'Portable Battery Fire' Erupts Onboard... Cheongju-to-Jeju Flight Delayed 5 Hours, 'Chaos' Ensues
Safety checks dragged on, prompting more than 40 passengers to give up on the flight
The plane arrived after midnight, more than five hours late
A frightening incident occurred aboard a passenger plane preparing to fly from Cheongju Airport to Jeju when a passenger's portable battery caught fire. The fire was quickly extinguished, preventing a major blaze, but an aircraft inspection delayed the flight by more than five hours, causing considerable inconvenience for passengers late at night.
According to airport authorities on October 11, a portable battery held by a passenger suddenly burst into flames aboard a Jeju Air plane waiting on the apron at Cheongju Airport at around 7:30 p.m. the previous day. Nearby passengers and crew members acted quickly and put out the fire, but the passenger carrying the battery suffered minor burns to one hand. In addition, about 10 passengers and crew members complained of headaches and difficulty breathing because smoke spread through the cabin. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured or urgently taken to a hospital.
The aircraft where the fire broke out was found to have no serious damage other than scorch marks on part of the floor. However, the airline's safety inspection and cleanup took so long that the departure schedule was pushed back indefinitely. The plane, originally scheduled to take off at 7:15 p.m. the previous day, finally left Cheongju Airport at 12:40 a.m. on October 11, more than five hours late, and landed at Jeju Airport at 1:40 a.m. Of the 168 original passengers, 43 eventually gave up on the flight after a long wait, while only 125 reached their destination.
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Jeju Air said it would pay passengers affected by the overnight wait KRW 30,000 in delay compensation and KRW 10,000 for transportation costs. The airline also moved to resolve the situation by offering full refunds to passengers who gave up on the flight and left, or arranging alternative flights departing the morning of October 11.
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