An Air China flight from China’s Hangzhou to South Korea’s Seoul was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai after a lithium battery stored in a passenger’s bag kept in the overhead cabin caught fire mid-air, The Chosun Daily reported. A video of the incident, which occurred on Saturday, has since gone viral on social media.
Mid-air scare after lithium battery fire – Video
The now-viral video opens to show flames coming from a bag in the overhead cabin. As the video goes on, passengers can be heard screaming and calling for help while smoke fills the plane.
The video also shows flyers recording the incident on their phones, and some can even be seen moving away for safety. It also shows flight attendants trying to put out the fire.
Air China Plane Bursts Into Flames As Lithium Battery Explodes
— RT_India (@RT_India_news) October 18, 2025
The incident cause the flight from Hangzhou to South Korea's Incheon to make an emergency landing in Shanghai. No injuries were reported. pic.twitter.com/0CfLNy5iHK
According to a report by South China Morning Post, the incident took place on flight CA139, which departed Hangzhou at 9:47 am local time and was scheduled to arrive at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport at 12:20 pm. Following the emergency landing in Shanghai, Air China deployed another aircraft to take the passengers to their destination.
Air China says no one was injured
Air China, in a statement, said that the aircraft made an emergency landing and that there were no injuries reported.
“On October 18, a passenger on flight CA139 from Hangzhou to Incheon experienced a lithium battery spontaneously combust in their carry-on luggage stored in the overhead bin,” the airline acknowledged the mid-air scare as quoted by The Sun.
The statement added, “The crew immediately handled the situation according to procedures, and no one was injured.”
“To ensure flight safety, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Air China has deployed an aircraft to continue the flight,” it further said.
