A Delta flight traveling from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale was diverted to Fort Myers on Monday morning after a lithium battery exploded inside a passenger’s bag.
Flight 1334, carrying 191 people, declared an emergency around 8:30 a.m. after smoke entered the cabin. Delta said flight attendants extinguished a personal device and diverted the flight as a precaution.
“The backpack has been contained. We think it was a lithium battery that caused the smoke and the fire,” the pilot radioed to firefighters on the ground at the Fort Myers airport, according to a recording by LiveATC.net per CNN. “It’s in a containment bag. No smoke in the cabin at this point. No active fire.”
The FAA permits most electronic devices with lithium-ion batteries in both checked and carry-on bags, but spare batteries are only allowed in carry-on luggage.
No injuries were reported, Delta said.
“We appreciate the quick work and actions by our people to follow their training, and we apologize to our customers for the delay in their travels,” a Delta spokesperson told the outlet.
The FAA recorded 34 lithium battery incidents on airplanes in the first half of 2025, averaging nearly six per month, down slightly from last year’s average of over seven per month.
On May 28, Southwest Airlines implemented a rule that requires portable chargers and batteries to be used in plain sight, banning their use in bags or overhead bins to help crews respond faster to overheating or fires.
