Lufthansa A380 Flight Diverted After Passenger's iPad Gets Stuck In A Seat

A Lufthansa flight, bound for Munich from Los Angeles, carrying 461 passengers, was forced to divert after a flyer's iPad became jammed in a seat. The Airbus A380 flight took off on Wednesday (Apr 23) but was directed to land at the Logan International Airport in Boston around 2:30 am local time on Thursday (Apr 24) due to the incident which transpired in the business class of the flight.

The decision to divert Flight LH453 was taken "to eliminate any potential risk, particularly with regard to possible overheating", an airline spokesperson told Business Insider. The tablet had also shown visible signs of deformation due to the seat's movements.

Consequently, the crew and the air traffic control jointly took the decision to halt the flight prematurely. The diversion resulted in a three-hour delay for the passengers on board, who then landed in Munich at 4.35 pm local time.

"At Lufthansa, the safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority. The diversion was a purely precautionary measure," the airline said.

Notably, lithium batteries can be a safety hazard if they are damaged, punctured or crushed, as it could lead to a chain reaction that causes the battery to potentially explode or catch fire.

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Previous instance

This is not the first instance when a passenger's gadget has led to a flight diversion. Last month, an Air France Boeing 777 was forced to make a U-turn to Paris after a passenger lost their mobile phone on the aircraft.

Shortly after takeoff, the passenger alerted the crew about the lost phone. Despite extensive efforts by the cabin crew and fellow travellers, the device remained unlocated. Prioritising the safety of the passengers, the pilots decided to return to Paris.

Airlines have implemented strict guidelines to prevent onboard incidents, with many prohibiting passengers from charging power banks in-flight or placing them in overhead compartments.