A lithium battery spontaneously combusted in a passenger’s carry-on luggage during an Air China flight Saturday to Incheon, South Korea, from the Chinese city of Hangzhou, according to the airline.
The luggage was stored in the overhead bin at the time, and crew members quickly responded to the situation, the airline said. It was not immediately clear if the battery that ignited was in a device or a spare.
Video shared on social media shows the overhead bin on fire, sending smoke billowing through the cabin and alarming passengers.
The aircraft made an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. There were no injuries, the airline said.
The fire comes months after China implemented an emergency ban on some portable batteries aboard flights. The ban, which went into effect in June, came after a regulator warned about the growing risks to flights from the batteries.
— The New York Times
PREVIOUS ARTICLE