An airline passenger was seriously injured when an e-cigarette caught fire mid-flight
- An Air France passenger was seriously injured after an e-cigarette caught fire mid-air.
- France’s air safety body said it was investigating the incident on the Paris-bound flight.
A passenger was seriously injured on an Air France flight when an e-cigarette caught fire mid-flight, authorities said.
France’s aviation authority, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, said on Thursday it had opened an investigation into an incident on board a November 2 Air France flight from Malaga, Spain to Paris, France.
The bureau said one person had been seriously injured after an e-cigarette caused a lithium battery fire as the plane was coming in to land. Cabin crew was able to extinguish the fire using a “dedicated kit.”
It is unclear whether the passenger who suffered the injury was also the owner of the e-cigarette, or the extent of the individual’s injuries.
Air France and the air safety bureau didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.
E-cigarettes, or vapes, are allowed on flights by both European and US authorities as long as they are kept in carry-on luggage.
They are not prohibited in checked luggage given several reported incidents of overheating resulting in a fire, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said.
There have been previous incidents involving vapes on planes, such as on a Southwest Airlines flight in March 2021 from San Diego to Sacramento.
A passenger had to put out a fire after his vape pen overheated in his pocket while he was in the bathroom, KTXL reported.
The device’s lithium battery started smoking and caught fire, according to report by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, per the report.
