A Lufthansa flight carrying 461 passengers from Los Angeles to Munich was compelled to divert to Boston’s Logan International Airport early on Thursday morning after an iPad became lodged in a Business Class seat, prompting safety concerns. The Airbus A380, operating Flight LH453, had departed from Los Angeles late on Wednesday but rerouted after the device became jammed and began to show visible signs of deformation.

According to WCVB, the flight crew and air traffic controllers were worried that the iPad’s lithium battery might overheat and potentially ignite, given the tablet’s compromised condition due to seat movements. The aircraft touched down at Logan Airport at approximately 2.30am, where a Lufthansa technical team swiftly removed the device. Lufthansa described the diversion as “a purely precautionary measure” prioritising passenger safety. The flight ultimately arrived in Munich at 4.35pm local time, experiencing a delay of around three hours.

Lufthansa stated to Business Insider, “At Lufthansa, the safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority.” Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electronic devices such as iPads, are known for their fire risk if damaged. This incident follows recent aviation safety concerns linked to lithium batteries aboard aircraft.

In a related event, a United Airlines flight in 2023 was forced to return to San Diego International Airport shortly after departure due to a laptop battery catching fire in the cabin. The Boeing 737, carrying 159 passengers, had taken off at 7:15am heading for Newark Airport in New Jersey but returned just 11 minutes later. Four flight attendants successfully extinguished the flames with fire extinguishers but suffered smoke inhalation and were hospitalised.

San Diego Airport authorities stated, “Shortly after departure, the aircraft declared an Alert 2 which indicates a major difficulty with the aircraft, in this case, there was an electrical device fire in the cabin.” Passengers witnessed the incident, with one traveller, Caroline Lipinski, describing seeing a passenger’s bag emit smoke and a battery charger burst into flames on the ground.

Statistics show that lithium battery fires on US flights have surged by 388 percent since 2015. CBS News reports that such incidents now occur nearly twice a week on average, with power banks responsible for 43 percent of these battery-related fires.

Both incidents underscore the ongoing challenges airlines face in managing the risks posed by lithium-ion batteries aboard aircraft. Safety protocols continue to evolve as airlines and regulatory agencies address these hazards to ensure safe air travel.

Source: Noah Wire Services