An Air China plane caught fire at Beijing airport, forcing the crew to evacuate.
The crew of the Airbus A330 were in the process of boarding passengers when the plane started to smoke from the cargo hold in front of the aircraft.
The plane was set to depart on flight CA183 from the Chinese capital to Tokyo.
Footage shared online shows the narrow-body aircraft belching smoke from the front of the plane.
The airline confirmed the fire on its Weibo social media channel.
“The crew quickly took fire-fighting measures and organised the safe evacuation of all passengers,” it said.
“The specific cause of the incident is under investigation.”
A statement on Weibo from Beijing Capital International Airport confirmed there were no passengers on the plane at the time of the fire.
It added that the airport had been operating normally since the incident.
Last week, seven passengers were hospitalised when a Hawaiian Airlines cabin filled with smoke.
Flight HA47 from Oakland, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii, was carrying 184 passengers and seven crew when the incident occurred, 20 minutes before the aircraft landed safely. Pictures shared on social media show the entire cabin full of thick smoke and passengers covering their mouths.
