A vape that caught fire aboard a Virgin Australia aircraft forced the crew to declare an emergency before landing at Melbourne Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Flight VA328, which departed from Brisbane, issued a PAN call – an urgent radio signal – which triggered a response from emergency services in Melbourne.
The airport responded to the PAN call from flight VA328 “after reports a vape had ignited on board the aircraft”, a spokesman for the airport said. “As a precaution and in accordance with standard procedures, emergency services were placed on standby.”
The Boeing 737 landed safely shortly after about 4.20pm.
PAN calls denote a serious situation that is just below an immediate threat to life or the aircraft.
Aviation Rescue firefighters followed the aircraft after it landed and removed the vape from the plane as a precaution.
“The safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority, and we thank our crew for their swift response in containing the device,” a Virgin spokesperson said.
Vapes are powered by rechargeable batteries that can overheat or catch fire when damaged.
They are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which can pose a risk of catching fire or exploding if damaged, overcharged or put under temperature stress.
Sunday’s incident comes as airlines and aviation authorities have tightened rules on the transportation of power banks because of the fire risks they pose.
In December, Virgin Australia began restricting the use of power banks – the small, self-contained battery packs used to charge phones and other devices – on flights.
Qantas instituted a similar policy the same month.
Virgin began reviewing its policy on power banks in July after a flight crew had to put out a fire on a midair flight between Sydney and Hobart.
More to come
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Chris Zappone is a senior reporter covering aviation and business. He is former digital foreign editor.Connect via X, Facebook or email.
