Continental Airlines has attributed a fire on board one of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft to a passenger's lithium battery-powered air purifier, an incident which has prompted the purifier's distributor to halt sales of the device.
Flight CO1065, operating the Houston-Portland route, diverted to Colorado Springs after the personal device - which is designed to be worn around the neck - set fire to an aircraft seat.
Four flight attendants and a passenger were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation following the 15 December incident.
US distributor EcoQuest International, which supplies the purifier, branded the 'Fresh Air Buddy', had previously admitted to clients that 0.01% of its units had experienced a "rare problem". It attributed this either to faulty lithium batteries or to the use of non-rechargeable lithium batteries which were recharged.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has highlighted the potential fire risk posed by non-rechargeable lithium batteries, and two years ago issued a ban on shipping them as freight on passenger flights - although they can still be used in passengers' personal equipment.
Source: Flight International
