Two airlines ban everyday item from being used on board their planes over explosion fears
Two airlines have banned an everyday item from being used their planes over fears they could explode in midair.
Vietnam Airlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air said that passengers are now not allowed to use lithium-based powerbanks aboard their planes.
Many airlines across the world have banned the use of the devices on their planes in recent years due to the risk they carry of igniting unexpectedly.
Over the weekend, both airlines said their passengers were not allowed to use them on their planes.
Passengers also have to take them out of carry-on bags and place them so they are visible at all times.
The ban comes after an AirFrance plane was forced to return home just two hours in to its flight after a passenger lost their phone on board, risking a potential explosion in the cabin.
The plane, flying on Friday from Paris to Pointe-a-Pitre in Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, was forced to turn its 375 passengers and 12 crew members back to France around a quarter of the way into the flight.
According to AirPlusNews, the plane was made to turn around as a safety precaution.
Vietnam Airlines and budget carrier Vietjet Air said that passengers are now not allowed to use lithium-based powerbanks aboard their planes (File image)
Data from FlightRadar24 revealed that the plane looped once off the west coast of France before flying back to Paris' Orly airport, where it began its journey.
After landing back at Paris Orly at 3.25pm that day, the plane then took off for Guadeloupe 20 minutes later, arriving at 7.20pm local time that evening.
AirPlusNews reported that it came a month after the same plane was made to turn back after a passenger dropped their phone into air vent, significantly increasing the risk of a fire.
The plane, which was meant to fly from Paris to Fort-de-France, Martinique, was turned around after 'a passenger's phone slipped through a galley air vent and ended up in an inaccessible area', according to AirPlusNews.
'Fearing that the phone's lithium battery had been damaged, creating a fire risk, the crew decided to divert the flight to Paris as a precaution', it added.
Last month, a power bank exploded on an AirAsia flight mid-air, sending passengers into panic.
The plane was flying from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country when flames and smoke were witnessed 30 minutes in.
Shocked cabin crew rushed to the middle row of the Airbus A320 to extinguish the flames, as nervous passengers watched on.
The plane was flying from Bangkok to Nakhon Si Thammarat in the south of the country when flames and smoke were seen 30 minutes in
Those on board rushed out of their seats and flocked to the other side of the aircraft, with some clutching their children
Those on board rushed out of their seats and flocked to the other side of the aircraft, with some clutching their children.
As fumes filled the cabin, passengers frantically moved their belongings away from the flames. Others rushed to go and get bottled water in an attempt to put out the fire.
Flight attendants grabbed fire extinguishers and eliminated the fire.
Sayan Srimai, who recorded the video, said: 'The whole plane was in a state of chaos.
'We had been sitting for about 30 minutes when suddenly there was a fire burning and smoke rising in the middle of the plane, in row 15.
