AirAsia flight AK130 en route to Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia was diverted to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Vietnam. This was due to a power bank abruptly exploded mid-flight during the Christmas day run.

The 26-year-old man was charging his phone via what most likely to be a questionable quality mobile power-bank when it explodes and injured the man’s thigh and left hand.

AK130 landed safely on the runway with medical personals waited together with an ambulance. The injured man was immediately brought to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

Surprisingly such cases are not uncommon, and perhaps it is a cause for great concern. Cheap and unreliable power-bank can be easily available. On the ground, unpredicted power-bank explosion already caused the loss of valuables and, in some cases, the loss of life. 

Mid-flight incidents like this also not a rare occurrence. A quick google one can easily come across power-bank burst into flame out of no reason infight. For example:

On the 1st of February 2018 (above), fire broke out on a crowded plane after portable charger ‘explodes’ on landing. The incident, which was caught on camera, shows flames between two seats in the economy class cabin of the Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Volgograd.

On the 25th of February 2018 (above), on a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to Shanghai. The passengers were boarding the flight when they spotted smoke and fire billowing out from an overhead compartment. A power-bank reportedly caught fire while on a plane, which caused some panic on the flight. The passengers had to be deplaned, and they boarded a replacement aircraft after the incident.

Most Recently, on the 4th of September 2019 (above), A power-bank caught fire during flight on a China Eastern A320neo (MU2809) en route from Nanjing (NKG) to Xiamen(XMN). The flight returned safely to NKG.