A Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Lisbon was diverted to Lyon on Saturday evening after a passenger’s power bank caught fire near their seat. Flight LH1170, an Airbus A321 carrying 198 passengers and six crew, landed safely at Lyon Saint Exupéry at around 10pm, and nobody was injured.
Lufthansa confirmed the cabin crew got the burning power bank into a lithium battery containment bag, a fire-resistant pouch designed to isolate a failing battery, before the pilots chose to divert as a precaution. Passengers spent the night in hotels in Lyon and were rebooked onto flights to Lisbon on Sunday. The airline hasn’t said what make the power bank was or whether it was being used at the time.
What is a massive relief here is that the crew did exactly what they’re trained to do and it worked. However, it’s striking that this is the second power bank diversion within the Lufthansa Group in two months, and both happened on airlines that already ban power bank use in the air.
Why divert if the power bank fire was already contained?
Because a contained lithium battery isn’t a finished one. Once a lithium-ion cell overheats, it can keep generating its own heat in a chain reaction known as thermal runaway, which means it can reignite or keep venting smoke well after the flames seem to be out. The containment bag buys the crew time; it doesn’t make the problem disappear.
Continuing on to Lisbon would have meant close to another two hours in the air with a damaged battery on board, while Lyon was minutes away. Getting on the ground quickly was the right call, even if it gave 198 people a night in a hotel they never planned on.
The second Lufthansa Group power bank diversion in two months
In August, SWISS flight LX52 from Zurich to Boston diverted to Dublin in the early hours of 10 August after a passenger’s power bank started smoking in business class over the North Atlantic. SWISS is part of the Lufthansa Group and applies the same ban on using and charging power banks on board, yet reports suggest that power bank was simply sitting in a seat pocket.
Banning use in flight cuts the risk that comes with charging, which puts extra stress on a battery, but it does nothing about a cheap, damaged or ageing power bank that decides to fail in your bag. IndiGo had to evacuate a plane in Chandigarh back in May for the same reason, after a power bank tucked into a seat pocket caught fire shortly after landing.
Can you use a power bank on a Lufthansa flight?
No. Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines have all banned using or charging power banks on board since the middle of January, with an exception for approved medical devices. You can still bring up to two in your cabin bag, but they can’t go in checked luggage or in the overhead locker. The full detail is in Lufthansa Group’s updated power bank regulations.
The overhead locker rule caught me out on an Aer Lingus flight earlier this summer, and it’s the one that makes the most sense after this weekend. Crew can see and reach a battery under the seat in front of you, whereas one smouldering in a closed locker can go unnoticed until the cabin fills with smoke. The rules do vary by airline though, and I’ve already broken down how Ryanair, Aer Lingus and Lufthansa handle power banks on flights if you’re flying out of Dublin soon.
How to fly with a power bank safely
Only bring a power bank you trust, check it before you pack it, and keep it where you can see it. If yours is swollen, dented, gets warm when it isn’t charging anything, or has been dropped more times than you’d like to admit, it belongs in a battery recycling bin rather than your carry-on.
Buy from a reputable brand rather than the cheapest no-name option on a marketplace, since cell quality and proper protection circuitry are what stop a battery failing in the first place. Check the watt-hour rating printed on it too; anything up to 100Wh is fine on most airlines, while 100 to 160Wh needs approval in advance.
If it starts getting hot, smells odd or begins to hiss mid-flight, tell the crew straight away and let them deal with it. They carry the containment bags and they know how to use them, as the passengers on LH1170 found out on Saturday.
Before your next Lufthansa, SWISS or Aer Lingus flight, charge your phone, tablet or handheld fully at home and give it a boost in the airport, because the power bank in your bag is staying switched off until you land.
