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An Air China flight from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) to Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) was forced to make an emergency diversion on October 18th, after a lithium battery caught fire mid-flight and filled the cabin with flames and smoke. The incident occurred aboard flight CA139, which was operated by an Airbus A321.
The flight departed at 9:47 AM local time and climbed to a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet before a passenger’s lithium battery pack, stored in an overhead bin, suddenly ignited. Video shows bright flames and dense smoke pouring from the compartment as passengers panic. Cabin crew acted swiftly, using water and onboard firefighting equipment to douse the flames while the pilots initiated an immediate descent and diversion to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), which is approximately 100 miles from Hangzhou.
The aircraft landed safely at 11:05 AM, where emergency response teams met the plane on arrival. No injuries were reported and all passengers were later rebooked onto another flight to continue their journey to Seoul.
Preliminary reports from local authorities attribute the fire to a thermal runaway event within the lithium battery. This phenomenon occurs when one of a battery’s internal cells overheats and triggers a chain reaction that causes neighboring cells to ignite in rapid succession. Because lithium batteries are used in everyday electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, and power banks, aviation safety regulators have long warned about their risks. When thermal runaway begins, the process is extremely difficult to stop, producing intense heat, smoke, and flames.
While lithium battery-related fires on airplanes have been a known hazard for years, incidents have risen sharply in recent months. Airlines and safety authorities have stepped up crew training to handle these emergencies. Cabin crew members now receive specialized instruction on how to contain and cool overheating batteries (often by submerging them in water or placing them in fireproof containment bags specifically designed for such events).
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies have banned power banks from checked luggage for years. Airlines have policies and make announcements on their websites and in person when checking bags to ask if there are any “lithium ion batteries” present. Emirates is the strictest carrier, but one of several airlines that no longer allow you to use portable power banks in flight and to limit what can be carried on.
Starting on this month, Emirates will no longer allow passengers to use most power banks on its aircraft. Here are the key points of the new policy:
- Emirates customers may carry one power bank that is under 100 Watt Hours
- Power banks may not be used to charge any personal devices onboard
- Charging a power bank using the aircraft’s power supply is not permitted
- All power banks accepted for transport must have capacity rating information available
- Power banks may not be placed in the overhead stowage bin onboard the aircraft and must now be placed in the seat pocket or in a bag under the seat in front of you
- Power banks are not permitted in checked luggage (existing rule)
Other carriers like Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Thai Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, and EVA Air have all introduced their own restrictions. The very real fear of these devices overheating and causing a fire is guiding airlines to implement new policies. Back in January, an Air Busan Airbus A321 had a fire incident in South Korea. A power bank overheated in the overhead bin while the flight was boarding. Flight attendants could not extinguish the flames and the aircraft had to be evacuated.
Anthony’s Take: Thankfully, no one was injured and the flight landed safely. This is scary and a very real risk when flying. Please keep an eye on your electronics while traveling.
(Featured Image Credit: @aviationbrk via X.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
