How a power bank forced Chennai-bound IndiGo flight to divert to Hyderabad

IndiGo said smoke was detected from a passenger's personal electronic device, following which the crew brought the situation under control and the pilots diverted the flight to Hyderabad.

A power bank kept in the overhead bin of a Chennai-bound IndiGo aircraft caught fire on Sunday, prompting the flight to divert to Hyderabad, where it landed safely. The aircraft was operating flight 6E 6115 from Delhi to Chennai. Around 180 passengers and seven crew members were on board at the time of the incident.

IndiGo said smoke was detected from a passenger's personal electronic device, following which the crew brought the situation under control and the pilots diverted the flight to Hyderabad, where it landed safely. The airline mentioned that it arranged an alternate aircraft to fly passengers to Chennai

"IndiGo flight 6E 6115, operating from Delhi to Chennai on October 11, 2026, was diverted to Hyderabad after smoke was detected from a customer's personal electronic device. The cabin crew responded promptly, and the situation was brought under control," IndiGo said in a statement.

"In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad," it added.

What did the viral video show?

A video of the incident, recorded by a passenger on a mobile phone, has surfaced on social media. The footage shows passengers attempting to put out the flames by using their bags to smother the fire.

Similar incidents

An IndiGo flight from Agartala to Delhi was diverted to Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on Tuesday (September 15) after a smoke alert was triggered in the aircraft's cargo compartment, PTI reported, quoting an official statement.

The aircraft, operating as flight 6E6504, landed safely at Lucknow airport at 6:29 pm with 103 passengers and six crew members on board, airport authorities said, according to the news agency. No untoward incident was reported.

A similar incident involving an Air India Express aircraft was reported in September, when a Varanasi-Delhi flight was diverted to Lucknow as a precaution after its cargo hold smoke detection alarm went off.

Air India Express flight IX 1253, carrying 155 passengers, took off from Varanasi at around 8 am on September 3. Shortly after departure, the cargo compartment's smoke alarm was activated. The pilot subsequently informed Lucknow Air Traffic Control and sought clearance for an emergency landing.

The aircraft landed safely at Lucknow airport at 8:52 am. Airport personnel, fire brigade officials and technical teams rushed to the aircraft following its arrival. All passengers and crew members were evacuated by 9:02 am.