An emergency landing was made by an Air China flight after a lithium battery caught fire in the overhead bin of the plane on Saturday, October 18.
The flight, numbered CA139, had taken off from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport at 09.47am local time and was scheduled to arrive at Incheon International Airport at 12.20am.
The flight was then forced to perform an emergency landing in Shanghai.
In a statement, Air China confirmed that a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage stored in the overhead compartment"spontaneously ignited".
Videos of the fire have been going viral on social media. Watch below:
WHY ARE LITHIUM BATTERY FIRES COMMON IN THIS REGION?
— Turbine Traveller (@Turbinetraveler) October 18, 2025
Air China A321 (B-8583) en route from Hangzhou to Seoul was forced to divert to Shanghai after a lithium battery in a passenger�s luggage went into thermal runaway, sparking a fire in an overhead bin mid-flight.
Cabin crew� pic.twitter.com/GFcFpOr40D
Ban on power banks
The airline added that the crew responded immediately and that no injuries had been reported. It confirmed that the flight had to “make an unscheduled landing” at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Earlier this month, Emirates prohibited the use of power banks during flights.
Passengers may still carry one power bank under 100 watt-hours (Wh), but the device cannot be used or charged inflight. The airline says the move is based on safety, following a surge in incidents across the aviation industry linked to lithium batteries.
