Tokyo Haneda airport shut after Korean Air Boeing 777 catches fire. All safe.

Tokyo’s Haneda airport which is located in the heart of the megalopolis is shut down after one of the engines of a Korean Air Boeing 777-300, registration HL7534, performing flight KE2708 to Seoul Gimpo airport caught fire just as it was about to take-off. All 302 passengers and 17 crew were evacuated via emergency slides and are safe, though about 25-30 passengers complained of feeling unwell.

The number 1 engine, a Pratt & Whitney PW4098 series, located on the left wing caught fire at around 12:40 local (03:40 UTC, 09:10 IST) while the aircraft was on the runway preparing for take-off. The ARFF teams rushed to the spot and doused the flames with foam, and evacuated those on board via emergency slides.

Officials have not yet provided an opening time for the airport, but one can expect it to open soon. Haneda is critical to domestic and regional traffic. It handles around 550 flights daily and 75 million passengers annually. In comparison all of India’s annual domestic traffic just crossed 100 million.

About Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

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