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A Pegasus Airlines flight bound for İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) was forced to evacuate passengers early this morning after a portable power bank reportedly began emitting smoke while the aircraft was taxiing for departure.
The incident occurred aboard Pegasus Airlines flight PC 2474 from Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB) to İzmir Adnan Menderes Airport (ADB) at approximately 5:45 AM local time. According to reports, flight crew noticed smoke coming from a passenger’s portable battery pack as the aircraft was making its way toward the runway.
Acting quickly, the pilots brought the aircraft to a stop and initiated an emergency evacuation. Passengers exited the aircraft using emergency slides, while airport fire and rescue teams responded immediately to the scene. Firefighters were able to extinguish the smoking power bank using halon, a fire suppression agent commonly used in aviation emergencies involving lithium-ion batteries. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among passengers or crew members.
Following the evacuation, Pegasus arranged a replacement aircraft to continue the journey. The delayed flight eventually departed Ankara at approximately 8:18 AM, which allowed passengers to continue their trip to İzmir.
The incident serves as yet another reminder of the growing concern surrounding lithium-ion battery fires in aviation. Power banks, smartphones, laptops, and other electronic devices contain lithium-ion cells that can overheat, enter thermal runaway, and ignite with little warning. Aviation authorities worldwide have increasingly tightened regulations surrounding portable batteries in response to a rising number of onboard incidents. In April 2026, Türkiye introduced new restrictions prohibiting passengers from charging power banks during flights and joined a growing list of countries and airlines implementing similar safety measures.
Anthony’s Take: While incidents involving power banks remain relatively rare, aviation experts continue to stress the importance of keeping portable batteries accessible in the cabin rather than in checked luggage so that any overheating event can be identified and addressed quickly.
(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.
