A report has surfaced online of an alleged lithium battery fire onboard a Delta Air Lines flight from Honolulu (HNL) to Atlanta (ATL). According to the report, the incident happened as the aircraft was over Salt Lake City, when a flight attendant noticed smoke coming from the overhead locker at rows 2-4 and managed to put the fire out using one of the onboard halon fire extinguishers.

The laptop was then transferred to the fire containment bag, which by this point had been filled with water, and one of the flight attendants was assigned the task of keeping watch to ensure that the laptop did not reignite, which is a potential risk with lithium battery fires.

The flight continued to Atlanta where it landed safely, and none of the passengers or crew were injured. No further details about the alleged incident, such as flight number or date, have been included in the online report. Simple Flying has reached out to Delta Air Lines for further comment.

Lithium battery fires

This supposed case does throw the question of lithium battery safety into the spotlight once again, and if true, it would not be the only lithium battery fire incident to happen in the US in recent years. In fact, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 406 lithium battery fires between 2006 and 2022, and 49 in the last year alone.

Just last month, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 belonging to United Airlines was forced to return to San Diego (SAN) after an external battery pack caught fire shortly after take-off, leading to a number of flight attendants being treated for smoke inhalation. A spokesperson for the airline said at the time,

"Our crew acted quickly to contain the device and medical personnel met the aircraft upon arrival at the gate."

Incidents such as this are not, of course, isolated to the US - they can occur anywhere, as happened onboard a Scoot Airbus A320neo that was taxiing for departure at Taipei (TPE). That said, considering the number of lithium batteries transported every day, the risk remains comparatively low.

Spare lithium batteries - what are the rules?

Spare lithium batteries are not permitted in checked baggage, and passengers are normally allowed to carry a maximum of 15 personal electronic devices (PEDs) with them in the cabin. On its website, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) states the following:

"Spare batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits by placement in the original retail packaging or by otherwise insulating terminals, e.g. by taping over exposed terminals or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch and carried in carry-on baggage only."

Delta Air Lines currently operates one daily flight between Atlanta and Honolulu, using the Airbus A350-900, of which the carrier has 28 in its fleet. Each Airbus A350-900 seats a total of 306 passengers in a three-class configuration - 32 in business class, 48 in premium economy, and 226 in economy class.

Have you experienced an issue such as this with a lithium battery onboard a flight? How many PEDs do you normally carry with you when traveling? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: Flight To Success, Federal Aviation Authority