SINGAPORE — Two passengers onboard a Scoot flight that was about to depart from Taipei to Singapore were injured after a power bank reportedly caught fire.
A fire incident happened onboard Scoot flight TR993, which was scheduled to depart at 7.35 pm on Tuesday (10 Jan) night and was expected to arrive in Singapore at around 12.20 am today.
The Scoot aircraft was taxiing on the ground in preparation for take-off when a rechargeable power bank overheated and caught fire.
The Taoyuan airport authorities were alerted at 7.40 pm, and firefighters were immediately dispatched to contain the fire in the cabin.
The plane later returned to the gate after the fire was extinguished.
Wang Haoyu, a former Taoyuan City Council member, who was onboard the flight, shared on his Facebook page that the fire has been controlled.
“Wishing all passengers onboard Scoot TR993 departing from Taoyuan Airport to Singapore are safe. The smoke in the cabin has been controlled. If you have family members on board, please call them to confirm their safety.”
A video shared by another passenger, Wen Shan Tsai showed smoke and commotion onboard the flight when the fire incident happened, some worrying passengers standing up and try to move toward the back of the aircraft cabin.
According to Taiwan local media ETtoday, the owner of the power bank and his companion sustained “minor burns to their fingers” in the incident.
They decided to continue their flight after received medical assistance.
According to The Straits Times, Scoot has since apologised for the incident. The affected passengers’ flight were rescheduled and accommodation and meals were provided.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our top priority. Investigations into the incident are underway,” said Scoot in the statement.
The Scoot staff won praise from netizens who saw how composed they were in managing the situation, particularly the two air stewardesses who put off the fire.
Lundy Wong Cabin commenting on CNA’s Facebook video, wrote, “crew did an excellent job handling the situation”. She also commented that power banks should not be allowed to be used on flights.
