Could Smartphones be Banned on Flights?
-iPhone 5 Catches Fire and Forces Emergency Evacuation of Plane in Tel Aviv
- Flight from Tel Aviv to Prague was evacuated after iPhone caught fire
- Smoke filled the cabin and was found to be caused by a faulty smartphone
- Passengers were ordered off the plane before it took off
Daily Mail UK, 21 August 2014
Passengers were evacuated from a flight ready for takeoff after an iPhone burst into flames in Tel Aviv.
Passengers were forced to leave soon after boarding the plane which was departing from Israel when smoke from a girl's handbag filled the cabin.
The fire was found to have been caused by iPhone 5, reported AndroidPortal, forcing the passengers to disembark before the flight left for Prague, Czech Republic.
Scroll down for video
Fire call: What an iPhone looks like after it catches fire, as happened when a blazing smartphone
-(not the one pictured) forced the evacuation of a Prague-bound flight from Tel Aviv aiport
The father of the phone's owner, Yarden Leviovej, told Nova TV (as translated by iClarified): 'My daughter opened her purse, from which we saw the flames and the heat radiating from it.'
After the source of the flames and smoke was established, and the cabin cleared, the flight was reboarded. However Yarden, who was travelling with her family, had to leave without her burned out smartphone.
In July, the Civil Aviation Authority made a series of videos about the dangers of and risks associated with the transportation of lithium batteries, the power source of most personal electronic devices that would be used by travellers.
The videos, in conjunction with the US's Federal Aviation Administration, are aimed at airline and airport staff, cargo handlers, check-in staff and cabin crew, and explain the increased fire risk that comes with lithium batteries on passenger and cargo planes.
The CAA explains that 'although lithium batteries are very safe, their high energy levels mean they can pose a fire risk if damaged.'
'As a result they must be treated with care and stowed appropriately during flight.'
Explained: Why Uncharged Cell Phones are Banned from Flights:
In-flight entertainment: An iPhone similar to the one which caught alight, likely due to a faulty battery
The use of items such as smartphones and tablets is only set to increase as airlines increasingly begin to offer on-board WiFi as part of their on-board entertainment.
It is the International Civil Aviation Organisation which sets the worldwide guidelines for dangerous goods, with lithium batteries a common cause for concern in their publicly available literature.
Current rules allow passengers to carry mobile phones, laptops, tablets, cameras and equipment in their carry on and hold luggage,
but new security restrictions demand they be charged and able to be powered up on request.
However, spare lithium batteries such as those used invideo cameras must be taken in carry on.
Explained: Why Uncharged Cell Phones are Banned from Flights: