Smoke from a portable charger alters the flight path of an Atlantic-bound plane to Ireland

A flight between Zurich and Boston was diverted to an unplanned route after the crew of a Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) aircraft detected smoke in the cabin while flying over the Atlantic Ocean, prompting a precautionary diversion to the Irish capital, Dublin, for safety reasons.

Swiss stated that the source of the smoke was a portable charger (power bank). The Airbus A330, carrying 206 passengers and 12 crew members, had covered approximately three hours of its journey before changing course.

The aircraft transmitted a distress signal to request priority landing at Dublin Airport. The airline confirmed that this did not officially classify the incident as an “emergency landing.” Fire crews were waiting for the plane upon its arrival, after which passengers disembarked safely and were transferred to hotels.

This incident follows a similar one in late July, when overheating of a charging case for headphones caused smoke to rise on another Swiss flight, renewing attention to safety procedures concerning lithium batteries and portable devices on board aircraft.