Powerbank unexpectedly floated up in the cabin, photo

On Monday, a fire broke out on board a Virgin Australia aircraft. The cabin was quickly filled with smoke, but the crew successfully extinguished the fire and managed to land safely. Although the airline is not making any statements until the investigation is complete, the media reported that the fire was caused by a power bank in a woman's handbag.

Details.

The incident occurred on 21 July 2025 on flight VA1528 from Sydney to Hobart. During boarding, passengers smelled smoke from the overhead luggage racks. They opened them, and the power bank caught fire. The crew promptly extinguished the fire with fire extinguishers and also helped passengers with water bottles. One person was treated for combustion product poisoning.

Why it happened and what can be done

Most modern portable equipment, including power banks, is powered by lithium batteries, which, if defective or overheated, can cause chemical combustion that is difficult to extinguish. This is especially dangerous in a closed aircraft cabin. CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) allows power banks to be carried in hand luggage only - but this does not eliminate the risks. The number of such incidents has more than tripled since 2018. Since 2006, there have been at least 636 incidents of equipment catching fire on board aircraft. These were mainly e-cigarettes and vapes, although there have also been cases of phones and laptops catching fire.

Key recommendations from experts:

• Do not throw or hit devices containing lithium batteries
• Do not leave devices with lithium batteries charging unattended. This also applies to charging from power banks.
• Do not charge lithium batteries in a hot room
• Do not use damaged or defective power cords and chargers