Overview
- Smoke from a passenger’s hand luggage triggered an evacuation during boarding of an SAS A320neo at Oslo on October 14, and the flight to Bergen was abandoned.
- Cabin crew donned smoke hoods, used a halon extinguisher, and removed the suitcase, but the battery fire reignited before airport firefighters fully suppressed it.
- Eight people were hospitalized for suspected inhalation of toxic fumes, and all were discharged within 48 hours, investigators said.
- About 50 people had boarded Flight 295 when the incident occurred; the aircraft, A320neo SE-RUR, later returned to normal service.
- Airlines have tightened rules on lithium devices, with carriers such as Emirates and Southwest restricting power banks, the FAA recording more than 60 battery-related incidents this year, and several flights diverting after onboard device risks.