Laptop on fire stirs panic mid-air in Thiruvananthapuram-Bengaluru IndiGo flight

An IndiGo flight en route to Bengaluru from Thiruvananthapuram was caught in a state of panic after a laptop bag started to smoke and spark, reportedly from catching fire, while the plane was still mid-air. The fire was brought under control and plane landed safely at Bengaluru airport later.

Passengers aboard the Bengaluru-bound IndiGo flight called the on-board flight crew after noticing a burning smell coming out of a laptop bag among the hand baggage. Later the crew members noticed smoke coming out of it and informed the pilot-in-command.

"IndiGo crew operating flight 6E-445 from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru noticed the smoke smell in the cabin on November 11, 2017. The crew quickly identified minor sparks coming from the hat-rack of seat 24RH and immediately informed the pilot-in-command. Taking precautionary measures, the cabin crew on priority relocated all passengers from adjacent seats. Smoke from a black laptop placed in the hand baggage was discharged with a fire extinguisher, as per the standard operating procedures prescribed by the aircraft manufacturer," the airline carrier said in a statement later, confirming the incident.

"The laptop was then transferred into a container filled with water in lavatory. The aircraft made a normal landing at Bengaluru airport, all passengers were deplaned as per normal procedure and the DGCA was voluntarily informed. We are thankful to passengers for their cooperation extended to the crew on board. At IndiGo, safety is of the utmost priority and at no time it can be compromised," the statement further added.

Earlier today, the low-cost airline service issued an apology after an apology to one of their passengers after she suffered a fall and minor injuries while being escorted on a wheelchair by an IndiGo staff. Urvashi Parikh Viren was being taken to the arrival hall at Lucknow airport on a wheelchair yesterday, when it got caught in a big crack in the tarmac, causing her to fall.

IndiGo has been at the receiving end of a barrage of criticism after a video surfaced showing one of its staff members manhandling a passenger at Delhi airport.