Overview
- A portable power bank ignited in business class on KLM Flight KL735 and forced the captain to return the plane to Amsterdam, with the device catching fire roughly five and a half hours into the journey.
- Cabin crew quickly put out the flames, the flight landed safely at Schiphol after about an 11-hour trip, and KLM arranged hotels and rebooked passengers on a replacement flight the next morning.
- Multiple passengers and Dutch outlets have identified the device’s user as former KLM CEO Camiel Eurlings, but KLM declined to confirm identities citing privacy and has not announced any determination.
- KLM’s published rules ban charging or using external power banks in flight and require such batteries remain accessible to crew because lithium‑ion cells can suffer sudden thermal runaway and produce intense heat and smoke.
- KLM said one man sustained burns and that an investigation is under way, and passengers may be eligible for compensation and other EU passenger‑rights remedies following the disruption.