Fear in flight: a power bank left on a seat explodes, smoke in the plane cabin

A power bank left on a seat exploded on September 2 aboard Aeroméxico flight AM371, which was traveling from Oaxaca airport to Mexico City. The incident triggered a fire in the cabin, but no passengers were injured and the aircraft completed its route as scheduled. Local sources said the device was momentarily on an empty seat when it caught fire. The crew reacted immediately by activating emergency procedures for lithium-battery fires and put out the flames within minutes, before the situation could reach passengers or affect the aircraft structure. Once passengers disembarked at Mexico City International Airport, the damaged power bank was turned over to airport authorities for inspection. The event highlighted risks of lithium-ion batteries and supports industry rules that require power banks in carry-on luggage, not in the hold.