A flight operated by Air China was safely diverted to Shanghai on Saturday (October 18) after a battery in a passenger’s carry-on caught fire, AFP reported, citing the airline.
The incident occurred on the national carrier’s daily flight from the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou to Incheon International Airport near Seoul, South Korea.
“A lithium battery spontaneously ignited in a passenger’s hand luggage stored in the overhead compartment on flight CA139,” the report quoted the airline as saying in a statement posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
“The crew immediately dealt with the situation according to procedures and no one was injured,” the statement said
The airline further said the plane was diverted to an unscheduled landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport “to ensure the safety of the flight”.
A passenger captured a picture showing bright flames coming from the overhead storage area, which was published by the state-run Jimu News portal for domestic media, the report said.
The image showed black smoke in the cabin, with at least one passenger trying to put out the fire.
The flight reportedly took off from Hangzhou at 9:47 a.m. local time, according to data from tracking website Flightradar24.
It completely changed course over the sea, roughly equidistant from China’s east coast and Japan’s southern island of Kyushu, and arrived in Shanghai shortly after 11 a.m. local time.
A Condor Airlines flight was diverted to Italy
A similar incident occurred a few months ago when a Condor Airlines flight with 273 passengers en route from Corfu, Greece to Germany was diverted to Italy on August 16. According to the Greek City Times, this occurred after one of its engines caught fire shortly after takeoff. None of the passengers or crew on board the Boeing 757 were reportedly injured.
In a post on social media platform X, Greece’s City Times reported that a Boeing 757 flying from Corfu to Düsseldorf caught fire in mid-air. The passengers were already saying goodbye to their loved ones.
The post went on to note: “Right after take-off, the right engine of the Condor airliner caught fire. There were 273 people on board. Passengers recall loud bangs, fire and blackout: “I already sent goodbye messages, I thought it was over. The pilot managed to land the plane in Brindisi, Italy. No one was injured, but dozens of people experienced a real nightmare.”
