Carry-on luggage fire aboard Air China flight to South Korea forces emergency landing

An Air China flight from Hangzhou to South Korea’s Seoul was safely diverted to Shanghai on Saturday after a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage spontaneously caught fire in the overhead compartment, the airline said in a statement.

Crew quickly contained the fire, and no injuries were reported, according to the airline. 

Air China indicated the Airbus A321 took off on Saturday at 9.47am and had been scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport at 12.20pm.

The flight landed safely in Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

 According to local media reports the fire was caused by a power bank’s battery.