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The frightening scenes occur on a flight from Geneva to Amsterdam. The incidents with lithium batteries are piling up in the recent past.
Fire broke out on an Easyjet flight from Geneva to Amsterdam last Thursday. A video taken by passengers shows dramatic scenes. Panic breaks out, screams can be heard, flames shoot out of an overhead compartment. Several passengers then try to extinguish the fire, sparks fly.
After the flames were brought under control, the plane immediately returned to Geneva. Around a dozen people sustained minor injuries from the episode.
Danger lithium battery
According to initial findings, the battery of an e-cigarette caught fire. As passengers report, someone charged the battery at the time of the fire – which is forbidden on board. In the video, a passenger holds the charred remains of the device up to the camera.
“We felt like it took forever. It was only a few seconds. Everything was erased very quickly. And then there was this smell that chokes your throat and you panic because you’re stuck on a plane, »said a passenger to the French-speaking Swiss television RTS.
Legend:
The fire on the Easyjet flight broke out shortly after takeoff from Geneva-Cointrin.
SRF
Anyone who flies frequently is familiar with this: At the security checkpoint and on board, you will be instructed on how to use electronic devices. What is less well known is that each airline and individual countries can decide for themselves which rules to enact – the international aviation organization IATA limits itself to recommendations. For example, Easyjet allows e-cigarettes in the overhead compartment, while Air France requires passengers to carry them with them at all times.
Incidents are piling up
Lithium batteries in particular are a headache for airlines. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, the number of incidents doubled between 2017 and 2021.
A study from the USA has also shown that in most cases of fires on board an aircraft, e-cigarettes with external lithium batteries are the cause. The batteries are very sensitive and react poorly to external influences such as turbulence or temperature changes. Once they are damaged, overheated or short-circuited, the devices can catch fire.
At Zurich Airport, too, there has been an increase in what are known as dangerous goods in passenger luggage. “Of a hundred cases recorded in 2022, more than a third were due to e-cigarettes,” explains airport spokeswoman Bettina Kunz.
The airport therefore recommends taking the time to prepare. “As a passenger, it is particularly important to find out before you travel which rechargeable batteries and batteries you can take with you and, if so, in which piece of luggage, i.e. hand luggage or checked luggage. As an example: E-cigarettes may only be carried in hand luggage. Loose batteries or rechargeable batteries are generally prohibited in checked baggage.»