BEIJING: An Air China flight had to make an emergency landing after a fire erupted in an overhead luggage compartment mid-flight.
Flight A312, an Airbus en route from Hangzhou to Seoul, South Korea, was cruising at 33,000 feet when a power bank overheated and ignited a fire. Passengers were seen panicking as smoke filled the cabin, with some shouting for faster action while the crew worked to extinguish the flames.
The crew’s quick response was praised by passengers, and despite the alarming situation, no injuries were reported. The plane made an emergency landing at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport.
This incident comes shortly after China’s Civil Aviation Administration imposed a ban in June on carrying power banks and batteries on domestic flights unless properly labeled with the 3C standard, following a rise in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries.
The fire on Air China Flight A312 occurred just days after a separate incident involving Rex Airlines, where an engine fire forced a flight to be aborted after takeoff. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either incident.
