FRANKFURT (Germany), Sept 28 – A Lufthansa passenger plane flying from Frankfurt to Lisbon was diverted to the French city of Lyon after a passenger’s powerbank caught fire on board, the airline told German Press Agency (dpa) on Sunday.
The aircraft landed safely in Lyon at around 10 pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday evening, the German flag carrier said.
It said the crew on flight number LH1170 had previously secured the powerbank in a designated lithium safe bag.
The 198 passengers and six crew members were put up in hotels for the night and rebooked onto alternative connections to Lisbon the following day.
It was the second incident over the weekend involving a Lufthansa aircraft departing from Frankfurt. Also on Saturday, a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Toronto with 371 passengers on board turned back over Scotland for safety reasons and landed in Manchester due to a smell in the cabin, the airline said.
Many travellers carry powerbanks to charge their smartphones when no power socket is available. However, using powerbanks has been banned on Lufthansa Group flights since the start of the year, with an exception for the use of approved medical devices.
For safety reasons, powerbanks – like e-cigarettes – may not be carried in checked baggage on Lufthansa and many other airlines. On Lufthansa Group flights, they may not be stored in overhead compartments, but only in the seat pocket of the seat in front, on the passenger’s person, or in hand luggage stored under the seat.
