Beijing [China], October 19: Air China confirmed that a lithium battery fire occurred on flight CA139 from Hangzhou (China) to Incheon (South Korea), forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
Air China announced: "On October 18, on flight CA139 from Hangzhou to Incheon, a lithium battery in a passenger's carry-on luggage, stored in the overhead compartment, spontaneously combusted."
The crew quickly extinguished the fire and no one was injured, Air China added. "To ensure flight safety," the plane made an "unplanned landing" at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Air China said the flight took off at 9:47 a.m. on October 18 and was expected to land at Incheon International Airport at 12:20 p.m., according to the South China Morning Post.
Videos circulating on Chinese social media showed flames erupting in the luggage compartment, spreading to surrounding suitcases as panicked passengers and crew struggled to extinguish the blaze, which started in the overhead compartment.
It is not yet clear whether the battery that caused the fire was a backup battery. Lithium batteries are commonly used in phones, laptops and backup batteries.
Recently, China has recorded many similar fires caused by power banks, prompting authorities to issue regulations banning batteries without domestic safety certification "3C" on domestic flights since June 28, according to The Choson Daily .
In May, a China Southern Airlines flight from Hangzhou to Shenzhen (China) was forced to return to the airport 15 minutes after takeoff because the crew discovered smoke coming from a passenger's camera battery and power bank.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
