SEOUL- A small cabin fire caused by an overheated power bank broke out on an Asiana Airlines (OZ) flight from Incheon International Airport (ICN) to Hong Kong International Airport (HKG), injuring one passenger on January 8, 2026.
The fire was extinguished within two minutes by the cabin crew on Flight OZ745. The aircraft landed normally in Hong Kong with no emergency intervention required.
Asiana Airlines Passenger Injured
The incident occurred Thursday night aboard Asiana Airlines Flight OZ745, which was carrying 284 passengers from Seoul to Hong Kong. According to South Korea’s national broadcaster KBS, the fire originated from a power bank carried by a passenger in the cabin.
Cabin crew responded immediately and used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames within two minutes. The passenger who owned the power bank suffered burns to their hand during the incident.
Despite the onboard fire, the aircraft continued its journey and arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at 10.52 pm. An Asiana Airlines official confirmed that the flight landed normally and did not require emergency measures such as an emergency landing, SCMP reported.
Passenger Account Describes Moment of Panic
A passenger using the handle 2milkyou shared a firsthand account on the social media platform Threads. The post, written in Korean, included a blurred photo taken inside the aircraft cabin.
“I was on OZ745 from Incheon to Hong Kong. I was in row 22, but a fire broke out around row 27. For a moment, I thought I was going to die,” the passenger wrote.
The post highlighted the fear among nearby passengers, even though the situation was brought under control quickly by the crew.
Both the Hong Kong Airport Authority and the Hong Kong police confirmed they were not called to assist following the aircraft’s arrival. This indicates the incident was fully managed onboard and did not escalate after landing.
According to Asiana Airlines’ official website, passengers are prohibited from placing power banks in checked baggage. Chargers with a capacity of up to 100Wh are permitted in carry-on baggage only.
Power banks must remain with the passenger at all times and are not allowed in overhead compartments. Each passenger may carry a maximum of five such batteries. Terminals must be insulated with tape or stored in a transparent zip-lock bag to reduce the risk of short circuits and overheating.
Similar Incidents
This incident follows other recent onboard battery fires in the region. In November 2025, an overheated power bank caused a small fire on a Singapore-bound Scoot flight departing from Hong Kong. Cabin crew extinguished the fire quickly, and no injuries were reported.
In October 2025, an Air China flight traveling from Hangzhou to Seoul was forced to make an emergency landing in Shanghai after a lithium battery caught fire inside the cabin. No passengers or crew were injured in that incident.
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