Air China flight makes emergency landing in Shanghai after lithium battery fire in cabin | Watch

A screengrab from the online video

An Air China flight from Hangzhou to Seoul was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai on Saturday after a lithium battery caught fire inside the cabin, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

In a statement posted on social media, Air China confirmed the incident, saying, “On October 18, on flight CA139 from Hangzhou to Incheon, a lithium battery in a passenger’s carry-on luggage stored in the overhead compartment spontaneously ignited.”

The airline said the crew acted swiftly to control the situation and that no one was injured. “To ensure flight safety,” Air China added, “the plane had to make an unscheduled landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.”

Air China flight CA139 (B-8583), an Airbus A321-232, was en route at FL330 from Hanghzou to Seoul when a thermal runaway of a lithium battery occurred, leading to a fire in an overhead bin. The flight diverted to Shanghai.pic.twitter.com/rEZdFrC2MZ

— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) October 18, 2025

According to the statement, flight CA139 took off at 9:47 a.m. and was scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport at 12:20 p.m.

A video clip circulating online, reportedly filmed by a passenger, showed travellers and crew attempting to extinguish flames visible in an overhead compartment. Passengers were heard shouting “hurry up” in Korean as the fire was being put out.

Bright flames were seen coming from an overhead storage compartment in an image taken by a passenger and published by state-affiliated domestic media outlet Jimu News.

There was black smoke in the cabin, the image showed, as at least one passenger was seen trying to extinguish the blaze.

Data from tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the flight took off from Hangzhou at 9:47am local time.

It made a complete turn over the sea roughly equidistant from the eastern Chinese coast and Japan's southern island of Kyushu, landing in Shanghai shortly after 11am local time.

*With Agency Inputs