Air China flight safely diverted to Shanghai after battery fire in cabin

• On October 18, Air China diverted a passenger flight to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, landing shortly after 11am with no injuries reported, officials said.
• A lithium battery in a carry-on spontaneously ignited in an overhead bin, and the crew quickly contained it, prompting an unscheduled landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
• A passenger image showed bright flames in an overhead bin and black smoke filled the cabin as at least one passenger tried to extinguish the blaze, while passengers shouted in Korean.
• Scheduled arrival at Incheon International Airport was disrupted after Flightradar24 recorded the flight’s 9.47am departure from Hangzhou, forcing a route change.
• Air China confirmed the incident in a social media post, and media outlets published images and timelines on October 18, 2025.

Passengers on a commercial flight with Air China experienced moments of anguish after a lithium battery stored in one of the carry-on bags caught fire inside the plane while it was already in the air.

The aircraft, which was traveling from Hangzhou to Seoul , had to make an emergency landing after being diverted to Shanghai on Saturday, October 18, after the fire started in one of the overhead compartments.

“A lithium battery spontaneously ignited in a passenger’s carry-on baggage stored in the overhead compartment of flight CA139,” the airline said in a statement on Chinese social media platform Weibo .

He added that “the crew immediately handled the situation according to procedures and no one was injured .”

This is how a lithium battery caught fire on an Air China flight.

In videos posted online, several passengers and crew members on board were seen trying to extinguish the flames, while the rest watched the situation in panic and recorded with their cell phones.

According to data from the Flightradar24 tracking portal , flight CA139 took off from Hangzhou at 9:47 a.m. local time on an Airbus A321-232 aircraft , but changed course while over the sea after the incident.