This photo, provided by Flightradar24, shows the air route of a Jin Air flight bound for Japan's Okinawa that returned to its departure airport after blasting sounds were heard from near its engine, Feb. 25. Yonhap
A Korean Jin Air airplane bound for Japan's Okinawa returned to its departure airport in Busan nearly 1.5 hours after takeoff Tuesday, following blast sounds heard from its engine area during departure, officials said.
Loud sounds were heard by passengers when Jin Air flight LJ371 took off from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at 8:39 a.m.
The plane decided to return to the airport but had to circle over nearby Geoje Island to burn fuel due to weight limits for landing planes. The plane reached the departure point at 9:56 a.m., an hour and 17 minutes after takeoff.
Passengers aboard the flight testified that they heard blasting sounds from the engine area multiple times during takeoff, with some claiming to have seen flames near a wing mid-air.
A Jin Air official confirmed that sounds were detected near the engine during takeoff. Although no technical issues were confirmed, the company decided to call the plane back for the safety of passengers, the official said.
No injuries were reported among the passengers in connection with the incident.
The airline said a replacement airplane will be mobilized to resume service on the affected air route. (Yonhap)
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