On the evening of March 22nd, a fire broke out in the cabin of Eastern Airlines flight MU5128 from Beijing to Shanghai after it landed at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, and the crew quickly extinguished the fire.
According to data from the flight information platform “Air Travel Verticals,” the involved Eastern Airlines MU5128 flight took off from Beijing Capital Airport at 21:03 on March 22nd and landed at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport at 22:41 the same evening.
Passengers reported that less than a minute after the flight landed and was taxiing, they suddenly smelled a pungent odor from behind. Then, a passenger in the rear shouted, “Fire!” The crew swiftly used fire extinguishers and water to put out the source of the fire.
Photos circulating online showed multiple fire trucks standing by outside the aircraft after it had been parked.
The incident gained attention online, with many netizens expressing concerns and sharing past negative experiences with Eastern Airlines. One passenger mentioned an incident on March 19th where their flight from Beijing to Kunming experienced malfunctions even before take-off, leading to an overnight stay. Another netizen referred to the 2022 Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 incident, raising concerns about the airline’s safety record.
On the afternoon of March 23rd, the official Weibo account of Eastern Airlines issued a statement saying that on the night of March 22nd, a passenger’s mobile phone dropped into the gap of a seat and was crushed, causing it to emit smoke and catch fire after the flight landed from Beijing to Shanghai Hongqiao. The crew promptly handled the situation, and the flight operations and passenger travel were not affected.
However, according to reports from Hong Kong media, several passengers felt unwell after inhaling smoke, with one passenger suffering from rhinitis finding it difficult to breathe. Despite extinguishing the fire, the crew did not immediately allow passengers to disembark. Some passengers criticized the crew for not providing any explanations while passengers waited onboard for over half an hour.