Former KLM CEO Causes Flight Emergency After Power Bank Catches Fire
- An international flight operated by KLM was forced to turn back over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, after a power bank caught fire in the business class cabin,...
- The flight crew contained the incident quickly by extinguishing the flames according to established safety procedures, prompting the decision to return to Amsterdam.
- The schedule disruption has raised questions among travelers regarding compensation for the extended delay.
An international flight operated by KLM was forced to turn back over the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, after a power bank caught fire in the business class cabin, according to regional news reports. Flight KL735 departed from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol bound for Curaçao, but the journey was cut short when the device ignited mid-air. When contacted regarding the identity of the passenger, KLM confirmed the onboard fire occurred but declined to name the owner, citing passenger privacy regulations.
Emergency Response and Return to Schiphol
The flight crew contained the incident quickly by extinguishing the flames according to established safety procedures, prompting the decision to return to Amsterdam. A passenger on board told Curaçao.nu
that het cabinepersoneel heeft het geheel snel onder controle gekregen
(the cabin crew got the whole thing under control quickly
).
Operational records show that the aircraft had already experienced a delay of approximately 90 minutes prior to departure due to technical issues. Following the mid-air fire and subsequent return to Schiphol, the flight was rescheduled, with the delayed KL735 service slated to arrive in Curaçao on Friday 18 september at 1:35 PM. The return leg, flight KL736, is scheduled to depart Curaçao at 3:50 PM and land back at Schiphol on Saturday 19 september at 06.55 uur.
Passenger Compensation and Regulatory Rules
The schedule disruption has raised questions among travelers regarding compensation for the extended delay. Under European Union passenger rights regulations, airlines are exempt from paying statutory compensation if a flight cancellation or significant delay stems from extraordinary circumstances beyond the carrier’s direct control. As of the initial reporting, KLM had not formally announced whether it would invoke this exemption regarding the passenger-owned device fire. Camiel Eurlings served as the Dutch Minister of Transport and Water Management from 2007 to 2010 and held the position of president-director of KLM in 2013 and 2014. Outside of his historical corporate ties to the airline, Eurlings has served as a member of the supervisory board of Bonaire International Airport—commonly known as Flamingo Airport—since August 2021.