On a SriLankan Airlines flight carrying over 200 passengers, a very scary incident when a mid-flight fire triggered by a Lithium-ion battery pack started on board. Per TimeSriLanka.com, the crew onboard the flight were able o extinguish the fire.
Cell Phone Battery Catches Fire In Flight
A major incident was averted after alert crew aboard a SriLankan Airlines flight carrying over 200 passengers from Kochi to Colombo extinguished a mid-flight fire triggered by a lithium battery pack, the airlines said today.
Shortly after the meal service on the 70-minute flight, the cabin crew members noticed smoke emanating from an overhead luggage bin.
“Crew members aboard flight UL 166 managed to avert a major incident that is believed to have been caused by the ignition of a lithium battery pack or mobile phones in a passenger s hand luggage,†the airlines said in a statement.
None of the 202 passengers or any of the crew suffered any injuries and the Airbus A330-200 aircraft landed safely at Colombo s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) at the scheduled time, the statement said.
Bottom Line
This is scary and I wonder if lithium battery packs will be something that are looked at a little harder since this is not the first fire onboard a plane. Back in May, a JetBlue flight was diverted when a lithium battery caught fire onboard. With the stronger TSA screenings recently announced, (A New Reason To Get TSA Pre-Check) I wouldnt be surprised.
HT:Â TimeSriLanka.com
About The Weekly Flyer
The Weekly Flyer writes about travel from a business traveler perspective. He travels the world every week accumulating points and miles along the way.
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I noticed when travelling in China that they have restrictions on lithium battery packs. Warning signs at all security checkpoints: Lithium batteries exceeding 160Wh are forbidden to be carried or checked in luggage.
Numerous occasions have evidenced that lithium batteries are prone to explosion or catching fire. I do wonder what government of US have in their minds while imposing travel ban a while ago.