NEW DELHI: Scary moments unfolded for over 180 passengers on board an IndiGo flight from New Delhi to Chennai after a power bank in an overhead storage bin inside the cabin caught fire mid-air. The flight was diverted to Hyderabad as an emergency measure. It landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), with none of the passengers suffering any injuries.
Videos of the incident going viral online showed flames blazing inside the overhead bin above one of the seats. A few passengers were seen frantically trying to douse the fire using pieces of cloth and bags. A passenger was heard urging everyone not to panic.
Flight 6E 6115, an Airbus A321, took off from Terminal 1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1.30 pm and was scheduled to reach Chennai International Airport at 4 pm, according to flight-tracking platform FlightAware. Instead, it landed at RGIA at 3.59 pm.
In a statement, the airline said, “IndiGo flight 6E 6115, operating from Delhi to Chennai on October 11 was diverted to Hyderabad after smoke was detected from a customer’s personal electronic device. The cabin crew responded promptly and the situation was brought under control. In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. An alternate aircraft has been arranged to continue the journey to Chennai.”
It added, “We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers due to this unforeseen situation and are making all efforts to minimise it, including offering refreshments and sharing timely updates.”
Power banks are prohibited in checked-in baggage and are permitted only in cabin baggage. The lithium-ion batteries inside power banks can overheat, posing a fire risk, which is why they are not allowed in checked-in baggage. Following several incidents of power banks catching fire on flights, their use to charge electronic devices on board was also prohibited from late 2025.
On May 5, 2026, a power bank on IndiGo flight 6E 108, which was carrying 204 people, including crew members, caught fire after the aircraft arrived in Chandigarh from Hyderabad. The device emitted smoke and flames, which spread across the cabin. An emergency was declared, prompting the evacuation of all passengers. Five people sustained injuries.
On October 19, 2025, a passenger’s power bank caught fire on IndiGo flight 6E 2107 from Delhi to Dimapur while the aircraft was taxiing for take-off at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The device was stored in the seat-back pocket. The incident forced the flight to return to the parking bay.