Watch | Chennai-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Hyderabad after fire breaks out due to malfunctioning power bank

Chennai-bound IndiGo flight diverted to Hyderabad after fire breaks out due to malfunctioning power bank

A Chennai-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Hyderabad on Sunday after a fire broke out in the overhead luggage compartment, according to a video posted on social media platform X. It reportedly occurred due to a malfunctioning power bank. The aircraft landed safely at Hyderabad airport.

A video of the incident, recorded by a passenger on a mobile phone, has surfaced on social media. The footage shows passengers attempting to put out the flames by using their bags to smother the fire.

(Livemint couldn't independently verify the authenticity of the video)

IndiGo issues statement

IndiGo said smoke was detected from a passenger's personal electronic device, following which the crew brought the situation under control and the pilots diverted the flight to Hyderabad, where it landed safely. The airline mentioned that it arranged an alternate aircraft to fly passengers to Chennai and offered refreshments while keeping them updated.

“IndiGo flight 6E 6115, operating from Delhi to Chennai on October 11, 2026, was diverted to Hyderabad after smoke was detected from a customer’s personal electronic device. The cabin crew responded promptly and the situation was brought under control. In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad,” an IndiGo spokesperson said in a statement.

“An alternate aircraft has been arranged to continue the journey to Chennai. We regret the inconvenience caused to our customers due to this unforeseen situation and making all efforts to minimise it including offering refreshments and sharing timely updates,” the spokesperson added.

“At IndiGo, the safety of our customers and crew remains our top priority,” they concluded.

Previous-related incidents

An IndiGo flight from Agartala to Delhi was diverted to Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on Tuesday (September 15) after a smoke alert was triggered in the aircraft's cargo compartment, PTI reported, quoting an official statement.

The aircraft, operating as flight 6E6504, landed safely at Lucknow airport at 6:29 pm with 103 passengers and six crew members on board, airport authorities said, according to the news agency. No untoward incident was reported.

A similar incident involving an Air India Express aircraft was reported in September, when a Varanasi-Delhi flight was diverted to Lucknow as a precaution after its cargo hold smoke detection alarm went off.

Air India Express flight IX 1253, carrying 155 passengers, took off from Varanasi at around 8 am on September 3. Shortly after departure, the cargo compartment's smoke alarm was activated. The pilot subsequently informed Lucknow Air Traffic Control and sought clearance for an emergency landing.

The aircraft landed safely at Lucknow airport at 8:52 am. Airport personnel, fire brigade officials and technical teams rushed to the aircraft following its arrival. All passengers and crew members were evacuated by 9:02 am, sources said.

Initial checks found no smoke or fire

Preliminary inspections of the aircraft found no evidence of smoke or fire. It was subsequently moved to a hangar for a comprehensive technical assessment, while an investigation was initiated to determine what triggered the warning.

An Air India Express spokesperson said the crew had opted to divert the flight to Lucknow as a precaution after detecting a technical issue.

About the Author

Garvit Bhirani is a journalist based in Gurugram. He is a Deputy Chief Content Producer at LiveMint, where he covers national and international news stories, focusing on accuracy and compelling storytelling for readers. <br><br> With a total of six years of experience in journalism, he has previously worked with Vaco Binary Semantics for Google, taking on the role of news curation lead, and reported from the field on health, education, and agriculture stories for 101reporters and News9. He has also served as a content editor for entertainment and news media organisations. <br><br> Garvit holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism and mass communication from Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Gurugram University, respectively. During college days, he joined India’s only non-profit student journalism network, where he anchored daily news updates and produced his own weekly show called ‘Data Fix’. <br><br> He was selected for the YES Foundation Media for Social Change Fellowship in Delhi, the Talking Data to the Fourth Pillar residential workshop, and the VOICE Fellowship in Pune. <br><br> He holds certificates in COVID-19-verification reporting, data journalism, food & agriculture, tech policy, media literacy and countering misinformation, and tackling election disinformation courses from Thomson Foundation, IndiaSpend, The Dialogue, US Mission in India, and AFP. <br><br> He can be reached on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/garvit-bhirani">LinkedIn</a> or on <a href="https://x.com/GarvitBhirani">@garvitbhirani</a> on X