Air China flight forced to divert after passenger device sets on fire

The battery ‘spontaneously ignited’ in a passenger's carry-on luggage

Flight CA139 made an unscheduled stop at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (Getty Images)

An Air China flight was forced to divert to Shanghai after a lithium battery caught fire in the cabin.

Flight CA139 from Hangzhou, China, to Incheon, South Korea, made an unscheduled stop at Shanghai Pudong International Airport when a device set alight in a passenger’s carry-on luggage on Saturday.

The Airbus A321 was around 20 minutes into the over one and a half hour flight after departing shortly before 10am local time.

Video footage shows a silver suitcase in an overhead locker on fire above a row of seated passengers, as smoke fills the cabin.

The aircraft landed safely with no reported injuries after the cabin crew contained the fire.

Air China wrote on Chinese social media platform Weibo: “A lithium battery spontaneously ignited in a passenger's carry-on luggage stored in the overhead bin on flight CA139.

“The crew immediately handled the situation according to procedures, and no one was injured,” reported France 24.

According to Flightradar24 data, the airline arranged for an alternative aircraft to continue passengers’ journeys to Seoul.

As of 1 October, Emirates passengers have been banned from using phone power banks due to concerns over fires, explosions and toxic gases.

Emirates customers will still be allowed to carry one power bank onboard, as long as it has capacity rating information available and is only stored in the seat pocket or a bag under the seat in front, not in the overhead storage. A ban is already in place preventing them from being stored in checked luggage.

However, the airline warned that the device will not be allowed to be used in aircraft cabins for fear of “dangerous consequences like fire, explosions, and the release of toxic gases”.

Read more: FAA issues new warning over flying with lithium batteries after dozens of incidents