Air China Plane Catches Fire Mid-Flight, Makes Emergency Landing
Air China Flight Overhead Compartment Goes Up in Flames ... Catch The Wild Video
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An Air China flight traveling to South Korea had to make an emergency landing Saturday after a fire erupted in an overhead bin, sending passengers into a panic, according to media reports.
The packed jet, carrying 160 passengers and crew members, reportedly took off from China's Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport around 9:50 am Saturday and was headed to Seoul when a lithium battery inside someone's carry-on luggage erupted in flames.
Today, an Air China flight (CA139) from Hangzhou to Incheon was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai, China, after a lithium battery in a passenger’s overhead bag caught fire. pic.twitter.com/emRolEYbmj
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) October 18, 2025 @WeatherMonitors
Check out video posted to X ... which shows the fire raging inside the luggage compartment with smoke filling the cabin as passengers look on in horror. Two crew members quickly responded to try to put out the flames.
The New York Times reported the aircraft was diverted so it could make an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
In the end, the plane touched down safely with not a single person injured and the fire was snuffed out. It's not clear what caused the battery to flare up.
But, several months ago, China banned some portable batteries from being stored on planes after a regulator pointed out the increasing dangers of bringing the batteries on flights.
Turns out millions of lithium batteries, which are found in some cellphones, laptops and chargers, have been recalled over the years because they are possible fire hazards.
