An Air Niugini Port Moresby to Lae flight was disrupted yesterday morning as smoke from a damaged mobile phone battery belonging to a passenger quickly filled the cabin of the aircraft.
Air Niugini cabin crew on PX100 acted quickly to extinguish the fire and evacuate all 63 passengers in less than sixty seconds.
The airport firefighting service came across the tarmac to attend to the situation.
The Board and Management of Air Niugini commended the crew for their response, stating that it shows the high standard of training and experience of the staff.
Air Niugini CEO Gary Seddon thanked the emergency services and members of the National Airport Corporation for their support.
Airlines have policies for the carriage of lithium ion batteries on aircraft.
Air Niugini warns that it prohibits the carriage of lithium ion batteries that are damaged.
The airline urged that passengers who are unsure of such policies should immediately seek guidance from an airline ground staff or cabin crew.
