Korean Air CS300 Forced to Turn Around After Reported Engine Failure
A Korean Air flight from Busan to Nagoya, Japan, was forced to return to Gimhae International Airport after reports of an engine failure. The plane was able to land safely and no injuries were reported. Passengers were re-routed on other flights.
The flight from Busan to Nagoya could normally be completed in roughly one hour. However, the flight only made it about 25 minutes from Busan before being forced to return.
The CS300 is a new arrival in Korean Air's fleet, originally delayed in delivery from Bombardier due to delays in engine delivery. Similar engines from Pratt & Whitney have had troubles, though the engine maker said that problems from those engines wouldn't affect the engines Korean Air currently operates on the CS300.
The Bombardier C-Series, now officially the Airbus A220, was a sizable step up for Bombardier from the smaller CRJ regional jets that they're known for. The plane was designed with passenger-friendly features like much larger overhead bin space, a wider aisle and only one middle seat per row in a 2-3 configuration. Delta is poised to make the Airbus A220 a big part of its fleet after a dust up on tariffs that contributed to Airbus' involvement in the development of the plane going forward.
This isn't the first time the new aircraft type has had a problem with similar engines. Swiss Air had a problem with oil pressure on a flight in September that caused a flight bound for Zurich to return to Stockholm. The C-Series entered service in 2016 and has roughly 50 planes in service as of the publication of this article.
The Points Guy has reached out to Korean Air for further comment on this incident and will update this post with any additional information.
