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The Airbus A380 took off from Los Angeles on Wednesday (April 23), bound for Munich and was diverted to Boston Logan International Airport.
The flight safely landed in Boston, causing a three-hour delay.
A Lufthansa flight recently experienced a three-hour delay after someone’s tablet became ‘jammed’ in a business-class seat. The airline, carrying 461 passengers on board, was forced to make an unscheduled landing. According to a report by Business Insider, the Airbus A380 took off from Los Angeles on Wednesday (April 23), bound for Munich, and had been in the air for around three hours before the pilots decided to divert it to Boston Logan International Airport.
Speaking to Business Insider, a Lufthansa airline spokesperson explained that the device had ‘already shown visible signs of deformation due to the seat’s movements’ when the decision was made to divert the flight. The outlet further revealed that the device in question was reported to be an iPad, citing Simply Flying.
The spokesperson further said that the crew and the air traffic control jointly decided to halt the flight to eliminate any potential risk, particularly about the possible overheating of the device.
“At Lufthansa, the safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority. The diversion was a purely precautionary measure,” the airline stated.
Upon landing in Boston, a Lufthansa Technik team boarded the aircraft and safely inspected and removed the damaged tablet. The airline informed that the flight continued its journey to Munich after ensuring there was no further risk. This diversion caused a three-hour delay to what was originally an 11-hour transatlantic flight.
Lithium batteries, found in electronic devices like tablets and laptops, can pose serious dangers if punctured, damaged, or crushed in a confined space like an aircraft. Such incidents could lead to a thermal runaway — a chain reaction that causes the battery to potentially explode or catch fire.
This is not the first time that a passenger’s gadget has resulted in a flight diversion. Last month, an Air France Boeing 777 was forced to return to Paris after a passenger misplaced their mobile phone on the aircraft.
Shortly after takeoff, the passenger informed the crew members about the lost phone. Despite a thorough search, the phone could not be located, prompting the pilots to prioritise passenger safety and return to Paris.
In light of such occurrences, airlines have implemented strict guidelines aimed at preventing onboard incidents involving electronic devices. These measures include prohibitions on charging power banks during flights and restrictions on placing them in overhead compartments.
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