Air passengers panic after power bank explodes in overhead locker at 35,000ft

Passengers tried to put out the flames A plane was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger’s power bank caught fire 35,000ft in the air over India.

The Delhi to Chennai flight operated by India’s top carrier, IndiGo, was abruptly diverted to Hyderabad this afternoon.

Passengers noticed smoke spewing from the overhead bins around halfway into the two-and-a-half-hour flight.

Footage shared on social media shows the compartment interior ablaze as passengers move their bags away.

The cabin crew put out the fire with fire extinguishers, IndiGo said.

The airline said a ‘customer’s personal electronic device’ burst into flames, with Indian news channel NDTV reporting it was a power bank.

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Flight 6E 6115 took off from New Delhi at 1.30pm local time, set to land in the southern city of Chennai at 4pm.

But at around 2.50pm, the plane began to descend from 35,000ft to 3,700ft, according to aviation tracker FlightAware.

The plane turned 90° and landed at Hyderabad Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at 3.30pm.

IndiGo said: ‘The cabin crew responded promptly, and the situation was brought under control.

‘In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad.’

An alternate plane was arranged for passengers to fly to Chennai.

‘We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers due to this unforeseen situation and are making all efforts to minimise it, including offering refreshments and sharing timely updates,’ IndiGo added.

‘At IndiGo, the safety of our customers and crew remains our top priority.’

Power banks are only allowed in hand luggage, according to IndiGo’s ‘dangerous items’ policy.

The policy states that they ‘must remain within the passenger’s personal reach at all times’, such as under the seat.

‘Power must be visible on the battery; more than 160 Wh not allowed,’ the airline adds.

The portable charger cannot be stowed in the overhead compartment or cabin luggage.

Lithium batteries have been used in everything from toothbrushes and power tools to forklifts and electric bikes for decades.

But they’re made of tightly packed cells which can sometimes heat up quickly in a chain reaction called a ‘thermal runway’, causing them to break down and catch fire.

Experts warn the units can even explode if the battery is damaged, overcharged, overheated or exposed to water.

Some products that use Lithium batteries, such as smartphones and laptops, are heavily regulated.

Yet others, like power banks or vapes, aren’t so much, raising the risk of fire.

The fire risk posed by lithium batteries is now the number one safety risk to planes, according to the Civil Aviation Authority.

The regulator said that in 2024, 316 incidents of devices with lithium batteries detected in hold bags were reported. In 2025, that rose to 643.

Reports of devices overheating or malfunctioning nearly doubled the same year, from 123 to 206.

Around two incidents involving a lithium battery happen a week.

The authority says that fires in plane cabins that are caused by lithium-ion batteries are rarely deadly – but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk.

Passengers have long been told to pack lithium batteries in their carry-on luggage instead of in their checked bags so that if a fire does erupt, it will be noticed.

In the cargo hold, a fire may not always be picked up by the aircraft’s automatic fire-extinguishing system until it is too late.

Passengers should always check if their power banks look swollen or misshapen when packing their suitcases.

If they’re bulging, it could be a sign that the devices have suffered an internal failure.

Electrical safety experts recommend people dispose of damaged or deformed power banks by dropping them off at their local recycling centre.

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