Powerbank caught fire on Royal Brunei flight from Hong Kong

On Thursday, it was reported that a powerbank on board a flight from Hong Kong to Brunei had caught fire. Fortunately, the cabin crew were quick to handle the situation and no passengers were harmed.

The incident which occurred on Royal Brunei Airlines flight BI636 was captured on several videos. It showed the cabin crew extinguishing the fire along the aisle in an Airbus A320. After that, it appears that the cabin crew had the situation under control and they ushered all passengers to return to their seats. The plane had landed in Bandar Seri Begawan safely with a slight 13 minutes delay.

Royal Brunei Airlines has issued a response on the incident and below is their statement in full:

Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) flight BI636, en-route from Hong Kong to Bandar Seri Begawan on 3^rd January 2019 encountered a power bank incident during mid-flight.We would like to confirm all guests and crews were unharmed and our flight landed in Bandar Seri Begawan safely and as scheduled.

Our cabin crews are trained to follow standard operating procedures to handle such incidents professionally and to ensure the safety of our guests at all times. We carry the recommended safety equipment on board at all times.

RB takes the safety of our guests seriously and would like to remind all our guests to observe the “Guide to Dangerous Goods” for checked or carry-on baggage in accordance with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations at www.flyroyalbrunei.com for the safety and security of all onboard RB flights. Should our guests have any questions for the carriage of restricted items, they can contact our call center or their travel agents or visit our website at www.flyroyalbrunei.com

It is worth highlighting that powerbanks are not allowed to be kept in your checked-in luggage and it must be hand carried onto the flight or in your carry-on bag. Some airlines may limit the type of powerbanks you can carry onboard depending on its battery capacity. There are even airlines that don’t allow phone charging at all during flights.

Last year, AirAsia had planned to impose a powerbank restriction but it was later withdrawn before being implemented. When it comes to charging, it is recommended that you use only original power banks, chargers and cables from reputable brands. Cheap powerbanks may lack built-in safety features that prevent overcharging and overheating. It’s just not worth sacrificing safety just to save money.

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[ SOURCE 2 ]