Alerts Sign-up
An Air China Airbus A321-200 made an emergency landing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after a lithium battery ignited in the cabin. The incident occurred on October 18, 2025, during flight CA 139 from Hangzhou to Seoul, South Korea. The fire started about 20 minutes after departure when a lithium battery inside a passenger’s carry-on luggage, stored in the overhead compartment, overheated and caught fire.
The cabin crew contained the fire, and the flight crew diverted the aircraft to Shanghai Pudong, where it landed safely. No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew. Air China released a statement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo: “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.”
After the emergency landing, the Airbus A321 remained grounded at Shanghai Pudong for at least six hours. The aircraft, registered B-8583, is 8.3 years old and typically operates international routes such as Hangzhou to Seoul, Osaka, Hong Kong, and Tokyo Narita, as well as domestic flights to Beijing and Chengdu. As of July 31, 2025, it had logged 20,504 flight hours and 9,482 flight cycles.
