Power bank catches fire on Scoot plane bound for Singapore at Taiwan airport
As a Scoot airlines plane prepared to take off from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport bound for Singapore on Tuesday night (Jan. 10), a power bank caught fire, filling the cabin with smoke and injuring two passengers, and leading to the cancelation of the flight. The Taoyuan International Airport Corporation issued a press release stating it had received notification from the tower at about 7:40 p.m. Scoot Flight TR993 was taxiing on the ground and about to take off when the blaze broke out. Crew members quickly extinguished the fire, while the aircraft was guided back to the apron for inspection and all 189 passengers safely exited the plane.
The airport said the fire was caused by a passenger's power bank that caught fire, and two passengers suffered minor injuries, including slight burns to the hands and a bruise on the bridge of the nose. The fire did not affect other flights at the airport. A passenger told PTS Taiwan that smoke suddenly started emitting from a bag, while its owner threw it on the ground, and it erupted in flames. The passenger said that smoke started billowing, and flight attendants grabbed fire extinguishers to put out the fire. Another passenger said that when the fire broke out, Scoot crew members "immediately grabbed fire extinguishers and sprayed them to put out the fire. After spraying the fire extinguishers, there was a lot of smoke, so photos make it look smoky." However, the passenger said that the flames were not that large, similar to "burning joss paper we commonly use at home."
In addition to arranging for passengers to clear customs, Scoot will also reschedule flights and provide accommodation and meals for those affected. Scoot emphasized that maintaining the safety of passengers and crew is its top priority, and the Taiwan Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident. The injured passengers decided to continue on the same flight, while six passengers decided to make other arrangements. The airline is compensating passengers for transportation expenses to return to their residences or accommodations until they can get on the next flight. The flight from Taipei to Singapore has been rescheduled to depart at 7:35 p.m. on Wednesday evening and arrive in Singapore at 12:20 a.m. on Thursday (Jan 12).
CNA Explains: What you need to know about taking a portable charger on your next holiday
Lithium batteries like the ones used in power banks are known to produce dangerous heat levels, cause ignition, short circuit very easily and cause inextinguishable fires, said one expert. (File photo: iStock)
On Tuesday (Jan 10), a Scoot flight from Taipei to Singapore was forced to return to the gate before take-off after a power bank caught fire on the plane. According to the airline, Scoot flight TR993 returned to the gate after a rechargeable power bank belonging to a customer overheated while the aircraft was on the ground.
The owner of the power bank and his companion sustained minor burns to their fingers. A passenger on the flight told CNA that a flight attendant brought a fire extinguisher and the fire was put out within three minutes.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), power banks are considered to be spare lithium batteries. These batteries are also typically found in electronic products like laptops, mobile phones and electric bicycles. What are the regulations if you want to bring your portable charger with you on your next holiday? How can you keep your baggage safe?
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Cabin crew 'extremely professional' putting out fire from power bank on Scoot flight, says passenger
What causes electronic gadgets like power banks to catch fire?
Experts say the chances of mobile devices exploding are five in a million. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
The batteries in these gadgets are flammable. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, first developed in the 1970s, are extremely popular because of the high amount of energy they can deliver at a given size and weight compared with nickel-metal hydride or lead acid batteries. Today, Li-ion batteries power everything from smartphones and power banks to electric vehicles and even the International Space Station.
However, such batteries are inherently flammable. They store and release electrical energy through electrochemical reactions that produce heat. Lithium-based batteries can overheat under extreme conditions – such as extreme temperatures (below 0 deg C or above 65 deg C) and mechanical stress – and when designed to charge fast. An important component in a Li-ion battery to prevent what is commonly known as a short circuit is the separator between the positive (cathode) and negative (anode) electrodes. This separator is often made of a microporous polymer material.
To make batteries charge faster and last longer, battery makers tend to reduce the thickness of the separator film. During charging, the separator often comes under mechanical stress as the electrodes swell. A thinner separator has a greater chance of rupturing, which then puts the electrodes in direct physical contact, creating a short circuit. Intense heat can then be generated, melting the separator, which could lead to further short-circuiting. This is how smoke emissions, fires and explosions come about. Battery makers tend not to use thick separators as they create greater internal resistance, slowing down the charging. A thick separator also means less space for electrode materials, which store energy. The cost of fast charging is – unfortunately – safety. Defects in manufacturing can also produce unsafe batteries.
Airlines with most flight delays and cancellations according to Singaporean travellers
These tales of travel terror get us all nervous, but they're anecdotal at best. In the grand scheme of things, how do we know if flight delays really do happen very frequently on Airline X? Or if Airline Y really does end up cancelling a lot of their flights?
We carry out a proper survey on flight cancellations and delays, that's how. MoneySmart asked over 1,700 Singaporeans about the flight delays, flight cancellations, and compensation received for both over the past year or so (May 2022-2023). Here's what we found out about flight delays, cancellations, compensation for flight disruptions & impact of travel disruptions:
- Air India and Air China had the highest reported rates of flight delays
- Almost 2 out of 5 Singapore Airlines travellers had their flights delayed
- Most travel delays didn't exceed 4 hours
- Air India and Cebu Pacific Air had the highest reported rates of flight cancellations
- About 1 in 4 respondents waited only 1 to 3 hours for a replacement flight
- About 2 in 5 respondents did not get compensated for delayed flights
- Air China was the most likely to compensate respondents whose flights were delayed or cancelled
- Are the travellers we surveyed scarred for life?
- How do I avoid flight delays and cancellations?
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