DREAMLINER DIVERTS TO SIBERIA Smokey mobile phone causes problem

Posted on 08/25/2015 | About Siberia, Russia

A British Airways flight with approximately 200 passengers on board was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Siberia after a passenger’s mobile phone overheated and smoke was reportedly detected inside the cabin of the Boeing 787-800 Dreamliner.
The flight had left Incheon International Airport in Seoul and was on its way to London Heathrow, when it diverted to the remote Russian city of Irkutsk.

Flight BA18 was just few hours into the 11-hour journey when the smartphone began to smoke! A British Airways spokesman said the twin-engine plane landed ‘as a precaution’ in Irkutsk, just north of Russia’s border with Mongolia.

The spokesman said the Dreamliner was on the ground in Russia for about two-and-a-half hours. No injuries were reported. The plane resumed its journey to London after refuelling, but it is not known if the mobile phone was disposed of or if the passenger was allowed to keep it on board.

A BA spokesman said, “We're sorry for the delay to the service, after our experienced pilots diverted the aircraft as a precaution.

“The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority.”

BA’s 787-800 Dreamliners can accommodate 214 passengers over three first, business and economy classes.