Three people received minor injuries while evacuating an Air Busan Airbus A321ceo that was scheduled to operate a flight to Hong Kong on 28 January. South Korea’ transport ministry says that the aircraft, registered HL7763, was scheduled to depart Busan Gimhae airport on flight BX391 to Hong Kong when a fire broke out onboard at around 22:15 local time. Schedules data shows that the flight is scheduled to depart at 21:55. All 169 passengers, six crew members and one maintenance worker on board the aircraft successfully evacuated the aircraft via emergency slides. Pictures taken by the Yonhap news agency show the fire appears to have consumed the top part of the aircraft’s fuselage, while passengers are reported to have heard popping sounds in the cabin shortly before being ordered to evacuate. As a result of the fire three parking stands at Gimhae were closed and Air Busan cancelled eight flights. All departures scheduled for 29 January are expected to operate normally. The ministry adds that seven investigators have been dispatched to investigate the accident. Fleets data shows that the A321 is one of 21 aircraft in Air Busan’s fleet and is owned by AerCap. The jet is 17 years old, powered by International Aero Engines V2527 engines and has been operated by Air Busan since 2017.

South Korean investigators probing the fatal Jeju Air accident have found bird feathers and blood stains in both engines but have yet to determine what caused the Boeing 737NG to crash at Muan International airport on 29 December. A preliminary report by the Korean Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board says that the pilots of the 737-800 first communicated for landing with Muan airport's control tower at 08:54am local time and were cleared to land on runway 01. The tower controller warned the pilots of bird activity in the vicinity during the approach at 08:57am. The aircraft's cockpit voice (CVR) and flight data recorders (FDR) stopped recording at 08:58am, approximately 1.1nm from runway 01's threshold, at an altitude of 498ft and airspeed of 161kt. Six seconds later, the pilots declared an emergency due to a "bird strike during a go-around", the report says. It notes that the pilots had identified a flock of birds during the approach to runway 01, and a ground security camera had captured the aircraft coming close to a flock of birds during the go-around manoeuvre. The aircraft subsequently positioned for landing on Muan airport's single runway in opposite direction, via a right downwind leg and right turn to align with runway 19. It landed on its belly without deployed landing gear, overran the runway, crashed into an embankment with an instrument landing system localizer antenna, and burst into flames. "Both engines were buried in the embankment's soil mound, and the fore fuselage scattered up to 30-200m from the embankment," the report says. All 175 passengers and four of six crew members onboard were killed in the accident. Two flight attendants at the back of the cabin survived with serious injuries. The report specifies the aircraft's impact with the embankment at 09:02:57, noting that four minutes and seven seconds of FDR and CVR recordings are missing. The investigators will disassemble the engines to examine their components, analyse CVR, FDR and air traffic control data, and assess the embankment and bird strike. The birds have been identified as Baikal teals, a migratory duck species that hibernates in East Asia. "These all-out investigation activities aim to determine the accurate cause of the accident," the report states.

London City airport has applied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority to be certificated for Airbus A320neo operations with a new required navigation performance procedure. If approved, the instrument-based RNP AR (authorisation required) procedure would "alter the approach angle" for A320neos flying to the downtown gateway, its operator says. It notes that aircraft currently operating at London City must be approved for steep approach to the airport's relatively short 1,500m runway, with up to a 5.5-degree rather than standard 3-degree approach angle. The largest aircraft currently cleared for that approach are the 148-seat Embraer E195-E2 and 135-seat Airbus A220-100. Prior the pandemic, British Airways operated A318s with an all-business class cabin between London City and New York JFK. Flights to the US city required a stop in Shannon in Ireland. For the 180-seat A320neo, London City cites a range of "over 1,000km" (540nm) which will enable flights to "large parts of mainland Europe". Airbus specifies the A320neo's range at 3,400nm. The European airframer did not respond to enquiries about potential payload and range restrictions for the narrowbody at London City. "We welcome the application by London City airport to enable [A320neos] to land at this key location and we are supporting as needed," Airbus says. Approval for A320neo operation will enable London City to reach its permitted passenger capacity with fewer flights and open new routes, says the airport. In August 2024, the UK Government approved London City's plan to increase its annual passenger cap from 6.5 million to 9 million by 2031. This included no increase to the permitted number of annual flights and no new infrastructure, the airport notes.