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DGCA Launches Probe After Power Bank Fire on IndiGo Flight

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 10:38 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

DGCA Probes Fire

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation opened a formal probe into the power-bank fire on IndiGo flight 6E 6115.
Investigators will examine the battery’s certification, age, and compliance with the 2025 cabin-use ban.
Crew extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher after the device emitted smoke.
Passengers attempted to smother the blaze with bags, prompting online debate.

Summary

IndiGo Diverts Flight

IndiGo diverted flight 6E 6115 to Hyderabad after a passenger’s power bank ignited in an overhead bin.
Cabin crew extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher, retrieving the burnt power bank.
IndiGo provided an alternate aircraft to continue to Chennai and offered refreshments to affected travelers.
Professor Sagar Mitra of IIT Bombay said low-quality or counterfeit battery cells likely caused the fire.

History

Historical Context

After two lithium-ion battery fires on Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways 787s in January 2013, the FAA issued its first worldwide grounding of an airliner type since the 1979 DC-10 action, sidelining all 50 Dreamliners after just 52,000 flight hours. Revised battery enclosures cleared FAA approval in April 2013, and the episode now underpins DGCA and ICAO scrutiny of newer incidents such as IndiGo’s power-bank ignition.

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DGCA Probes Fire

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation opened a formal probe into the power-bank fire on IndiGo flight 6E 6115.
Investigators will examine the battery’s certification, age, and compliance with the 2025 cabin-use ban.
Crew extinguished the flames with a fire extinguisher after the device emitted smoke.
Passengers attempted to smother the blaze with bags, prompting online debate.

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