GENEVA: Travellers are suggested to watch their digital units throughout flights after a aircraft flying from Europe to the US was pressured to make an unscheduled touchdown when smoke emerged from a passenger’s energy financial institution.
It was the second such incident inside two weeks. In each circumstances, digital units have been the trigger – units that, in response to the airline, haven’t been permitted to be used on board all through the Lufthansa Group for the reason that starting of the 12 months.
It is smart for passengers to examine their guidelines of their airline earlier than packing and travelling, to stop hazard and guarantee units usually are not positioned within the unsuitable space by mistake.
Lufthansa says energy banks might neither be used nor charged on board Lufthansa Group airways flights. Each passenger might carry a most of two energy banks of their carry-on baggage.
The units might solely be saved within the seat pocket, on the passenger’s individual, or of their carry-on baggage beneath the seat.
“For safety reasons, transporting power banks and e-cigarettes in checked baggage or storing them in the overhead compartments is not permitted,” Lufthansa says in its newest guidelines, launched in early 2026.
“Power banks with a capacity between 100 Wh and 160 Wh must be approved by the airline in advance,” the airline says. Approved medical units are exempt from the regulation.
The regulation is aligned with the present suggestions of a number of worldwide aviation authorities, Lufthansa notes. So passengers, do examine the foundations of the airline you might be flying with.
“The same regulations also apply to e-cigarettes.”
The interrupted Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss flight was sure for Boston however touched down in Dublin as a result of incident, the airline says. “The reason was smoke developing on board, caused by a power bank,” Swiss says.
When that occurs, an emergency sign is distributed to achieve touchdown precedence, however this doesn’t represent an emergency touchdown. The 206 passengers have been taken to resorts whereas the airline organized onward journey, it mentioned.
That got here after a Swiss flight from Zurich to New York made an unscheduled touchdown in Bangor, within the US state of Maine in July resulting from smoke within the cabin. The trigger was a charging case for headphones that had fallen between the seats, the place it turned trapped and was broken. – dpa