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Portable battery fire forces Incheon-bound Air China flight to divert

Published: 19 Oct. 2025, 14:51

A lithium battery catches fire inside an Air China airplane that departed from the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport on Oct. 18, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Shanghai instead of Incheon, the initial destination. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

An Air China flight from Hangzhou to Incheon made an emergency landing in Shanghai on Saturday after a fire broke out in an overhead luggage compartment.

According to Air China and Chinese media outlets, Flight CA139 — an Airbus A321 — departed Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport at 9:47 a.m. on Saturday. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 11:05 a.m. after a fire was discovered in an overhead bin.

The flight resumed after safety inspections and departed Shanghai at 3:03 p.m. and arrived at the Incheon International Airport at 5:34 p.m.

Footage shared on social media showed flames erupting from the overhead compartment as passengers screamed and flight attendants rushed to extinguish the fire.

One passenger described hearing a loud “bang” followed by flames.

Air China said in a statement that the fire was caused by a lithium battery that spontaneously combusted inside a passenger’s carry-on luggage. The cabin crew immediately followed emergency procedures, and no injuries were reported, according to Air China.

In response to a growing number of in-flight fires caused by portable batteries, Chinese authorities banned lithium batteries without China Compulsory Product Certification from carry-on luggage on domestic flights starting June 28.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]