[THE INVESTOR] Asiana Airlines is under fire for allowing passengers to board a repaired jet that had caught fire earlier, local news reported on Tuesday.

The Asiana Airlines flight OZ222 from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Seoul was preparing for takeoff in two hours when it caught fire at 11:30 a.m. on June 24 (local time). 


The air carrier immediately called the fire station to extinguish the flames. It investigated the cause and repaired the aircraft with officials of Airbus, the manufacturer of the jet A380.

Some 400 passengers of the flight were notified about the incident at 1 p.m. They were told that the flight’s departure would be delayed to 4:30 p.m. due to a defect in the aircraft. At 4 p.m., Asiana Airlines announced that the flight had been canceled and would be rescheduled to 4:30 p.m. the next day.

When anxious passengers asked about the defective jet, Asiana Airlines said another airplane that had arrived from Korea would take the passengers to Seoul.

However, when the passengers arrived at the airport the next day, the flight was delayed again to 6:30 p.m.

When the airplane was finally ready for takeoff, some passengers found that the aircraft was exactly the same as the one from the day before.

Amid protests from the passengers, the carrier reassured passengers that the plane had been repaired and was safe for the flight.

“We thought it was the engine that caught fire, so (we) looked for a substitute airplane immediately. But after investigating with Airbus, we found that it was one of the components that caught fire. After the repair, the jet was approved to fly. But we admit we did not notify passengers accurately,” an official with the air carrier said. 

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)