Jan 8th 2026 : An Asiana Airlines Airbus A330-300 operating a scheduled service from South Korea to Hong Kong experienced an in-flight cabin incident after a passenger’s portable power bank suffered a thermal runaway and caught fire. The aircraft continued to its destination and landed safely.
The aircraft, registration HL7754, was performing flight OZ-745 from Seoul (South Korea) to Hong Kong (China) with 284 people on board. The incident occurred approximately two hours into the flight while the aircraft was cruising.
Cabin Incident
According to the airline, a passenger’s power bank overheated and entered thermal runaway, igniting and producing flames. Cabin crew responded immediately, using onboard fire-fighting equipment to extinguish the fire and secure the device. The fire was reportedly brought under control within one to two minutes.
The passenger who owned the power bank sustained burn injuries to their hands during the incident. No other passengers or crew were injured, and there was no reported damage to the aircraft.
Flight Outcome
After confirming the situation was fully contained and posed no further risk, the flight crew elected to continue to Hong Kong. The Airbus A330 landed normally at its destination without further incident.
Asiana Airlines later confirmed that the aircraft was not damaged and was able to operate its return flight as scheduled.
Safety Context
Lithium-ion battery fires, including those involving power banks, are a known aviation safety concern due to the potential for rapid thermal runaway. Airlines train cabin crews extensively for such scenarios, and the prompt response by the Asiana Airlines crew was credited with preventing escalation of the event.
The incident underscores ongoing industry emphasis on the safe handling and monitoring of portable electronic devices carried in the cabin.
