Laptop battery fire on American Airlines flight injures four

Dhaka: Four passengers sustained burns after a laptop battery ignited mid-air onboard American Airlines Flight 2398, en route from Atlanta to Dallas-Fort Worth, on August 21.

According to media reports, one of the injured passengers needed medical attention after landing, though the burns were not severe enough to require hospital admission.

Pilots alerted air traffic control that smoke had been detected at the rear of the cabin. Flight attendants managed to extinguish the blaze before the Airbus A321 continued its approach.

The aircraft landed safely and taxied to its gate as scheduled, where medical personnel were on standby to treat those affected.

The episode adds to mounting industry concern over lithium battery hazards, as such devices can occasionally overheat and ignite without warning.

A similar case in January 2025 saw a power bank fire destroy an Air Busan A321 while grounded, though everyone aboard escaped safely. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration logged 97 lithium battery-related incidents nationwide throughout 2025.

Responding to the growing number of cases, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) introduced updated regulations in March 2026, capping power banks at two per traveler in the cabin.

Several carriers have gone further. Southwest Airlines restricts passengers to a single power bank each, while a number of airlines across Asia and the Middle East have barred their use onboard entirely.