A KLM flight to Curaçao had to turn back to Amsterdam after a power bank caught fire in business class — and the passenger holding it turned out to be the airline's former chief executive.
The Boeing 777-300ER, operating the daily KL735 service from Amsterdam Schiphol, left almost two hours late on its nine-hour-45-minute run to the Caribbean. It never made it. A lithium battery fire broke out on board, blackening a business class window and leaving the passenger with minor injuries. The pilot diverted back to Amsterdam, stranding 322 travellers who had to be put up in hotels overnight.
The awkward twist: the power bank belonged to Camiel Eurlings, who ran KLM as President and CEO from July 2013 to October 2014. He was reportedly using the device at the time — which directly breaks the airline's own rules. KLM allows up to two power banks in hand luggage, but they must stay there: no stowing them in overhead bins, and absolutely no using or charging them in flight. A spokesperson said no fine would be issued, noting the rule is announced at the start of every flight. Eurlings is said to be shocked and embarrassed, and fellow passengers made little effort to hide their frustration — one pointed out that while mistakes happen, someone who once set the company's house rules should know better.
The stranded aircraft, a ten-year-old 777 registered PH-BVP, has stayed on the ground since. KLM dispatched a Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner the following morning, departing at 10:35 AM and due into Curaçao at 1:25 PM, before picking up the return leg to Amsterdam that evening.
Why should travellers care? First, the practical bit: the number of flight diversions caused by lithium battery fires has been climbing, and regulators are rethinking the rules. If you carry a power bank — and most of us do — check that its capacity is printed on the case (unlisted batteries may be refused entirely), keep it in your hand luggage rather than checked bags or the bin above you, and never charge your devices from it during the flight. That applies on KLM and, increasingly, on airlines worldwide. Second, the human bit: even a fully compliant traveller can lose a day of a Caribbean holiday because of someone else's battery. Travel insurance that covers delays, and a flexible first-night hotel booking, are worth having on long-haul routes where a diversion means starting over the next day.
For anyone booked on KLM's Curaçao route, the good news is the airline recovered quickly, reprotecting passengers within 24 hours on a replacement widebody. The 777 and Dreamliner schedules should now be back to normal.