A passenger onboard an Asiana Airlines flight from Seoul to Hong Kong has suffered hand burns after a lithium power bank caught fire in an overhead bin. The power bank experienced a thermal runaway approximately two hours into the flight, with cabin crew swiftly extinguishing and containing the fire inside three minutes.

One passenger onboard managed to snap a blurry photo of the fire while it was still raging, while another image of the aftermath shows a dark, half-burnt jacket lying on a seat. The flight continued to its destination and landed safely in Hong Kong, and the aircraft involved was able to operate the return flight without issue.

Asiana Passenger Burned After Power Bank Fire

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

As reported by The Aviation Herald, the incident occurred on Asiana Airlines Flight OZ745 from Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) on January 8, which was operated by one of the carrier’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft. The flight had taken off without incident from Seoul at 08:10 PM local time, and was roughly two hours into the flight when the lithium device caught fire. An airline spokesperson told SCMP that the fire broke out just before 10:00 PM, with Asiana cabin crew managing to put it out within three minutes before placing the damaged battery in a containment bag.

However, the owner of the power bank is said to have sustained burns to their hand, although their injuries were not serious enough to warrant hospitalization after the flight landed. A passenger who was on the flight posted an image to Threads under the name 2milkyou, stating that the fire happened somewhere around Row 27, which is located in the economy cabin by the middle galley and lavatory area.

Airline Prohibits Power Banks In Overhead Bins

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

As with most airlines worldwide, Asiana Airlines does not allow lithium power banks to be inside checked baggage; instead, such devices can only be carried in cabin bags. The airline also has a limit on the capacity of these batteries, with any items over 160Wh prohibited entirely. More importantly, the carrier states that “it is strictly prohibited to store them in the overhead bin,” with passengers required to insulate spare batteries with tape or place them in a zip-lock bag before carrying them on their person.

In a post on X, user zicaptain25 posted an image of a thick winter coat with a large hole scorched into it. It is possible that the power bank was placed inside a jacket pocket before it caught fire, but also equally possible that the jacket was simply lying next to the bank while charging.

Surprisingly, the aircraft involved in this incident — an 18-year-old A330-300 delivered to Asiana in 2007 — was able to operate the return journey to Seoul. This indicates that the damage from the fire was minor and did not impact any systems, with the cabin crew able to contain it quickly before it spread. Data from Flightradar24 shows that this aircraft (registration HL7754) has conducted multiple flights since Thursday’s incident, and is currently operating Flight OZ174 from Seoul to Sapporo.

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Growing Calls To Ban Power Banks On Flights

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There have been a number of lithium-related fires onboard commercial flights in recent months, particularly in the Asian market, where power bank usage is more common. Recent incidents include an Air China flight headed for Seoul making an emergency landing in Shanghai, and a Scoot aircraft flying out of Hong Kong.

Although some airlines have implemented bans on lithium chargers, this extends only to their usage onboard a flight, which means they are still permitted as hand baggage so long as they are not activated.

In the event that a fire does break out, its occurrence in the cabin is much more favorable as it can be detected and contained much more readily, unlike in the cargo hold.