Aviation

28.1, emergency landing

Malaysia: a Korean Air flight carrying 234 passengers from Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, to Seoul made an emergency landing due to an engine malfunction on January 23 it was belatedly reported. The aircraft’s engine suffered a glitch five minutes after taking off, causing the plane to violently shake. Passengers reported smelling smoke and hearing an explosion from the left wing. Before returning to Kota Kinabalu airport the aircraft dumped its fuel into the sea. After landing passengers were kept on board for more than an hour without air conditioning, due to a loss of power, before being put on another Korean Air flight to Seoul. Many passengers demanded a public apology from the carrier but instead were provided with a 50,000 won gift voucher as compensation for the delay. The passengers claimed the incident was not a simple delay but resulted from Korean Air’s own negligence. Some passengers are preparing to file a suit against the carrier.