IndiGo flight 6E 6115, en route from Delhi to Chennai, made an unscheduled landing in Hyderabad after a power bank stowed in the overhead luggage rack caught fire. The cabin crew deployed a fire extinguisher to douse the flames, and the aircraft landed safely, averting a potential catastrophe that could have resulted in a full evacuation or worse. A 36-second clip captured the chaos, showing passengers initially attempting to manage the blaze with their own bags before the crew took control.
The incident directly contradicts IndiGo's own baggage policy and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) stricter regulations. Both mandate that power banks and spare lithium batteries must remain within the passenger's personal reach—under the seat, in the seat pocket, or on the person—and explicitly forbid storage in overhead compartments. The DGCA's Dangerous Goods Advisory Circular, issued in November 2025, specifically prohibits using power banks to charge devices during flights and warns that overhead fires are significantly harder to detect and contain due to limited access for crew.
This is not the first time a lithium battery incident has disrupted IndiGo operations. On March 5, 2026, another IndiGo flight was evacuated at Chandigarh after a power bank in a seat pocket ignited, requiring two fire extinguishers to control the fire. While that incident complied with storage rules, the Hyderabad diversion highlights a critical failure in passenger compliance with overhead storage prohibitions. Vandana Singh, Chairperson of the Federation of Aviation Industry in India (FAII), previously argued against banning power banks outright, advocating instead for stricter enforcement of cabin-only carriage rules and enhanced crew training.
The technical risk lies in thermal runaway, a condition where a lithium-ion battery overheats rapidly and ignites. Consumer-grade power banks typically range from 10,000 to 20,000 mAh, well within the 100 Wh limit allowed by IndiGo for hand baggage. However, the location of the fire—overhead—broke the safety protocol that keeps batteries accessible for immediate removal in case of overheating. The DGCA is expected to review the incident to determine if any procedural lapses occurred on the part of the airline or the passenger, potentially leading to stricter pre-flight screening or fines for non-compliance.