Swiss flight lands in Dublin after power bank causes smoke on board

A Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Boston made an unscheduled landing in Dublin on Sunday evening after smoke was detected on board. The airline confirmed that a power bank was the cause of the smoke. In such situations, an emergency signal is activated to receive landing priority, though the airline stressed it was not a crash landing.

The 206 passengers were accommodated in hotels while Swiss arranged for their onward travel. This incident marks the second time in two weeks that a Swiss aircraft has had to land due to smoke from an electronic device. Previously, on July 27, a flight from Zurich to New York diverted to Bangor, Maine, because of smoke originating from a damaged headphone charging box lodged between seats.

Swiss stated that devices like the headphone charging box are also classified as power banks due to their charging capabilities. Since January, the entire Lufthansa Group, including Swiss, has prohibited the use and charging of power banks on all flights. While passengers can carry power banks in their hand luggage, they must be kept on their person, in a seat pocket, or under the seat, and are not permitted in overhead baggage compartments.