KLM flight forced to return to Amsterdam after power bank fire in business class

Quick summary

KLM flight KL-735, a Boeing 777-300ER carrying 322 passengers from Amsterdam to Curaçao, turned back over the North Atlantic on September 17, 2026 after a power bank caught fire in the business class cabin. Crew extinguished the device by submerging it in water. The aircraft landed safely at Schiphol around 8:43 p.m. local time, with one passenger sustaining minor burns.

Reports indicate the power bank was plugged into an in-seat outlet at the time — a practice KLM explicitly bans. The incident lands as European regulators are already pushing for stricter, harmonized rules on lithium battery use in flight.

A power bank fire in the business cabin of a KLM Boeing 777-300ER forced flight KL-735 to abandon its Amsterdam–Curaçao crossing on September 17, 2026, roughly two and a half hours after departing Schiphol. The device overheated, ignited, and left scorch marks on the seat console, window blind, and sidewall before cabin crew doused and submerged it. One passenger suffered minor burns.

The aircraft — registration PH-BVP — had departed around 3:20 p.m. local time, already nearly two hours late, and was cruising at approximately 30,000 feet when the crew declared an emergency and reversed course. By the time all 322 passengers disembarked back at Amsterdam, they had spent roughly 11 hours on board without reaching their destination, according to Dutch outlet NL Times.

KLM publicly described the return as a technical issue. Dutch and Caribbean media subsequently reported the triggering cause: a cabin power bank fire that crew contained quickly. The airline confirmed one minor injury but declined to identify the passenger involved, citing privacy regulations.

Reports suggest the device was connected to an in-seat charging outlet at the time — a direct violation of KLM’s own policy, which prohibits using or charging power banks on board and bans storing them in overhead bins during flight.

What the KL-735 fire tells us about power bank risk at altitude

Lithium-ion cells in power banks are prone to thermal runaway — a chain reaction in which one overheating cell triggers adjacent cells, producing a sudden, intense fire that is difficult to extinguish with standard cabin equipment. Power banks carry higher inherent risk than smartphones because of their larger cell count and the fact that many consumer-grade units lack the thermal stabilization built into devices from major manufacturers.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) classifies power banks as spare batteries rather than ordinary portable electronics. Under EASA Safety Information Bulletin 2025-03, spare batteries — including power banks — are forbidden from checked baggage and must not be recharged on board aircraft. That guidance directly reinforces KLM’s existing policy and was already in place before the KL-735 incident.

The Air Busan precedent sharpens the stakes considerably. On January 28, 2025, an Air Busan Airbus A321 at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea caught fire during boarding when a power bank in an overhead bin ignited. The blaze spread through cabin materials and destroyed the aircraft entirely, though serious injuries were avoided. Following that accident, EASA published updated recommendations urging carriers to keep power banks accessible and monitored — not stowed overhead, and never plugged in.

KLM’s rules sit at the stricter end of current industry practice. The airline bans in-seat charging of power banks, prohibits overhead bin storage during flight, and restricts use entirely. EASA’s broader EU passenger guidance echoes this, stating that power banks must not be used to charge other devices during flight. Yet enforcement across European and connecting carriers remains inconsistent — and passengers frequently board unaware that plugging a power bank into a seat outlet is categorically different from plugging in a laptop.

Why the policy gap is the real problem

KLM’s ban has been in place for some time. The EASA guidance predates this incident. And yet a power bank was apparently plugged into a seat outlet at cruising altitude on a major European carrier’s flagship widebody. That gap between written policy and cabin reality is where fires start.

Part of the problem is inconsistency across carriers. Some non-European airlines still permit limited power bank use within capacity thresholds — typically capped at 20,000 mAh — creating mismatched expectations for passengers who connect across regions. A traveler who charged a power bank from their seat on a previous leg may simply assume the same applies everywhere. It does not, and the consequences of that assumption are no longer theoretical.

The KL-735 outcome was the best possible version of a bad scenario: crew responded quickly, the fire was contained, and the aircraft landed safely. The Air Busan fire in January 2025 showed how the same starting point — a power bank in a cabin — can end with a written-off aircraft. The difference was location (overhead bin versus seat console) and timing (boarding versus cruise). Neither variable is something a passenger can reliably control once a thermal runaway begins.

Incidents like these tend to accelerate regulatory convergence. Carriers in Europe, North America, and across the Asia-Pacific region are likely watching this closely, and a move toward uniform bans on in-seat power bank charging — with more assertive pre-boarding enforcement — is a plausible near-term outcome.

Steps every passenger carrying a power bank should take now

KLM’s ban is explicit and enforceable — and following the KL-735 incident, expect cabin crew on European carriers to be more assertive about compliance, not less.

• Check your airline’s policy before you pack. KLM prohibits in-seat charging and overhead bin storage of power banks. Other European carriers have similar rules under EASA guidance. Non-European carriers may differ — verify the specific policy for every leg of your itinerary, including codeshare partners.
• Keep power banks in your carry-on, within reach. EASA guidance is explicit: spare batteries must be carried where they can be monitored. That means your personal item or under-seat bag — not the overhead bin, and not checked luggage, where power banks are banned industry-wide.
• Do not plug a power bank into a seat outlet. This applies on KLM and, under EASA guidance, across European carriers generally. Use seat power for phones and laptops only. The distinction matters: a phone charging from a seat outlet is a different risk profile than a multi-cell power bank doing the same.
• Monitor for heat, smell, or swelling. If a power bank feels unusually warm, emits an odor, or appears to be expanding, stop using it immediately and alert a crew member. Do not place it in an overhead bin. Do not wait to see if it resolves.
• Expect stricter gate enforcement on future flights. Following KL-735 and the Air Busan accident, carriers may introduce pre-boarding reminders or spot checks on power bank capacity and condition. Devices exceeding airline limits — typically 100Wh or 27,000 mAh — may be refused at the gate.

Watch: EASA’s next safety bulletin cycle and any updated guidance from the Dutch Safety Board (Onderzoeksraad voor Veiligheid) following their review of KL-735 — if either body moves toward mandatory in-flight power bank bans rather than recommendations, European carriers will be required to enforce rather than advise.

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