On June 18, 2026, a passenger's smartphone caught on fire aboard a British Airways flight as it was taxiing for takeoff at Tokyo's Haneda Airport.
The London-bound flight was preparing for departure shortly after 1 pm local time when the cabin crew noticed a lot of smoke filling the area. The smoke was swiftly traced to a passenger's personal electronic device. Swift-acting crew members successfully extinguished the blaze using an onboard fire extinguisher.
All 211 individuals on board remained entirely unharmed. As a standard safety protocol, the plane aborted the taxi and returned to the parking gate. Following thorough safety and maintenance inspections by emergency responders. The plane ended up getting cleared for travel and soon departed for London, nearly one hour behind schedule.
The event highlights a growing trend of lithium-ion battery incidents in aviation cabins. Rechargeable batteries found inside cellphones and power banks are prone to thermal runaway if they overheat or suffer physical damage. Regulators continue to remind travelers to immediately alert flight crews if their mobile devices become trapped in seat mechanisms or start to feel bizarrely hot.