Swiss flight lands in Maine after smoke from damaged headphone charging case

A Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for New York had to make an emergency landing in Bangor, Maine, on Monday after smoke filled the business class cabin. The airline has since identified the cause: a small headphone charging case, equipped with a power bank, slipped into a seat and became wedged.

The damaged case overheated, leading to the smoke. Swiss has sent a technical team to inspect the aircraft in Bangor. The incident highlights the airline's strict regulations regarding power banks, which have been prohibited for charging devices or being charged on Swiss flights since the beginning of the year.

Passengers are permitted to carry a maximum of two power banks, but they must be stored on their person, in a seat pocket, or in hand luggage. Swiss emphasized that the device involved was a small charging case with a low battery capacity, noting that larger power banks could have caused more severe consequences if damaged or malfunctioning. The airline urged passengers to strictly adhere to these rules, stressing their shared responsibility for flight safety.

“

They bear a co-responsibility for safety and we must be able to rely on them to strictly adhere to the power bank rules.