The fire caused by the power bank was relatively small in size and certainly did not disrupt the Auckland to Hong Kong flight too much. The fire was extinguished quickly enough that the flight continued as scheduled and made its way safely to Hong Kong without needing any form of emergency landing.
The Cabin Crew Quickly Put Out A Fire
Power banks can pose a significant risk to passengers, and this is not the first time this risk has been identified by airlines. Previous experiences with power banks catching on fire or exploding have prompted some airlines to ban power banks being carried onto their aircraft altogether.
Passengers took to social media to convey their feelings about flying where the plane’s interior was on fire and had only a short-lived scare about it because, who would want to look and see flames coming from the interior of their plane while they are seated in their seats.
Fortunately for all the passengers onboard, the crew handled the situation very professionally and calmly. Had it not been for the crew’s quick action, the situation could have turned much worse.
Just a few months prior to this incident, a similar incident took place on a Scoot flight from Hong Kong to Singapore when a passenger’s power bank overheated, resulting in a flammable odour permeating the air during landing. Videos from this flight showed crew members attempting to extinguish a small fire from a device on the floor of the cabin while passengers looked on nervously.
In addition to this situation, an Air China flight had to divert because of a fire in their cabin caused by an overheated power bank, while China Southern Airlines experienced an early return after takeoff due to smoke coming from a passenger’s power bank and the battery of their camera.
Earlier this year, some South Korean officials stated that a fire inside the cabin of an Air Busan flight was caused by a spare power bank and injured several passengers.
The proliferation of portable batteries has created a new way to travel with our devices. From smartphones and tablets to cameras, all our devices depend on portable batteries. When lithium batteries fail, they create an explosive, bright glow, releasing thick smoke that can be difficult to put out if there is no immediate action taken.
Because of this danger, airlines have strict regulations on battery packs being carried aboard and bars checked luggage. The incident involving Asiana Airlines had no lasting implications; however, things could have played out very differently. If a single device should malfunction, it is possible for that one small item to lead to a serious crisis on board an aircraft if not handled promptly or if incorrectly packed.
So next time you are packing your portable battery for travel, remember, while this device may be small, it requires the same amount of care and caution as any other device, especially while travelling onboard an aircraft with hundreds of other people.
