IndiGo Delhi-Chennai Flight Diverted to Hyderabad After Power Bank Fire

IndiGo flight 6E 6115, flying from Delhi to Chennai on October 11, 2026, diverted to Hyderabad after a power bank stored in an overhead cabin bin ignited mid-flight, according to flight-tracking site The Aviation Herald and Bangladesh-based outlet TBS News.

The Aviation Herald reported the Airbus A321-200N, registration VT-NOE, was cruising at Flight Level 350 when the fire broke out, about 80 nautical miles north of Hyderabad. The crew decided to divert, and the aircraft landed on runway 09R roughly 19 minutes later.

What happened on board

Passenger video cited by Gulf News showed flames and an orange glow spreading from the overhead compartment as travelers nearby grabbed clothing and bags in an attempt to smother the fire before cabin crew intervened with onboard fire extinguishers.

TBS News, citing flight details, put the number of people on board at 191. The aircraft landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad at approximately 3:15 p.m. local time; because the fire had already been contained, no formal emergency landing was declared, the outlet reported.

IndiGo arranged a replacement aircraft, and the flight resumed to Chennai at around 5:45 p.m., according to TBS News. No injuries to passengers or crew were reported by any of the outlets reviewed.

IndiGo's statement and battery rules

According to IndiGo's passenger policy as reported by The Week, power banks are permitted only in hand baggage and must stay within a passenger's reach — on their person, under the seat, or in a seat pocket. The airline allows up to two spare lithium-ion batteries of up to 100 watt-hours each and bars them from overhead bins or checked luggage. The Week noted the device in this incident had reportedly been placed in an overhead compartment rather than carried as required.

Gulf News explained that lithium-ion batteries can fail through a process called thermal runaway, in which the battery rapidly generates heat and may release smoke, flames or flammable gases — a hazard the outlet said is more dangerous in a pressurized cabin than in open air.

Not an isolated case for IndiGo

TBS News reported that this is not the first power bank fire linked to IndiGo this year. In May 2026, a power bank fire on flight 6E-108 at Chandigarh airport injured six passengers, the outlet said. It also referenced a separate incident at Delhi airport in October 2025, when a power bank caught fire while an aircraft was taxiing; the outlet reported the cabin crew extinguished the fire and no injuries were reported.

TBS News said these repeated incidents prompted India's civil aviation regulator, the DGCA, to advise airlines to confine power banks to hand baggage and to prohibit their use or charging during flights.

What is still unknown

None of the sources reviewed identified the passenger, the power bank's brand, or the exact cause of the battery failure. As of The Aviation Herald's report, published about 26 hours after landing, the aircraft remained grounded in Hyderabad for inspection, and no formal investigation findings had been released.