[THE INVESTOR] Asiana Airlines is under fire for allowing passengers to board a repaired jet that caught on fire earlier, local news reported on June 28.

Asiana Airlines flight OZ222 from JFK Airport in New York City to Seoul was getting ready to take-off in two hours when its engine caught on 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 craft with officials of Airbus, the manufacturer of the jet A380. 

Some 400 passengers of the plane were notified about the incident at 1 p.m., saying the departure would be delayed to 4:30 p.m. due to a defect in the aircraft. Later 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 the anxious passengers asked the air carrier about the status of the defective jet, Asiana Airlines said another airplane that arrived from Korea would take the passengers to Seoul.

However, when the passengers, who stayed overnight in the city’s hotels, arrived at the airport the next day, the flight was delayed again to 6:30 p.m.

When the airplane was finally ready to take-off, some passengers found that their jet was exactly the same one from the day before.

Amid serious protests from the passengers, the carrier reassured passengers that the plane had been repaired and is safe to fly.

“We thought it was the engine that caught on fire so 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 the passengers accurately,” an official with the air carrier said.

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