A Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Melbourne was met by firefighters after smoke was seen billowing from a vaporizer on board.
Flight VA 328 landed safely and all passengers disembarked normally after a vaporizer “activated” in the cabin shortly before landing about 4pm on Sunday in Melbourne, Melbourne Airport said.
It is understood that a passenger alerted the crew when steam and smoke was seen coming from the device. The crew then began the process of containing the unit.
The Boeing 737 pilots had declared a “panorama”, a Melbourne airport spokesperson said. Panoramic calls are used to indicate a situation that is less urgent than a day-out but still requires an aircraft to receive an expedited arrival.
Firefighters followed the plane to the gate as a precaution and removed the device from the plane.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the safety of the airline’s guests and crew was its “top priority, and we thank our crew for their quick response to contain the device.”
Vaporizers contain small lithium batteries that can cause fires when damaged or overheated, known as “thermal runaway.”
According to the Virgin Australia website, vaporizers and e-cigarettes are called portable electronic devices and should only be carried in hand luggage.
In July, a power bank lit up in a backpack in an overhead bin aboard a Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Hobart. The incident prompted a change in the airline’s security policy: powerbanks can now only be stored in a seat pocket, under the front seat or in people’s hands.
It is understood that all Virgin aircraft carry equipment on board to suppress fire damage caused by lithium batteries in thermal runaway.
Dr Adam Best, who specializes in advanced lithium battery technologies at CSIRO, said vaping batteries are much more likely to fail than those in power banks.
“The quality of the batteries used in these devices is typically much worse than what we see in power banks,” he said, given that most vaporizers are designed to be disposable.
Many vaporizers do not include safety features that “lock” the unit in case of damage and are manufactured in factories that are not highly regulated, he said. While many vaporizers are activated by inhalation, some have a power switch that could be turned on accidentally.
Any failure of the unit, due to previous damage or in the manufacturing process, could lead to instantaneous high temperatures, fire, release of toxic gases or, in the worst case, explosion, he said.
