KLM Flight Diverts Over Atlantic After Former CEO’s Power Bank Starts Cabin Fire

Using power banks onboard flights can cause the risk of a fire. That’s why they’re not allowed in checked bags, and it’s also why they’re typically not allowed to be used in the cabin during flights. Nonetheless, every so often we see a story where things go wrong, because some passengers refuse to follow rules.

Well, a KLM flight had a pretty major power bank issue, whereby a fire started in the cabin over the Atlantic after a passenger violated the rules. Here’s the interesting wrinkle, though — that passenger was the former CEO of the airline!

KLM 777 suffers power bank fire over Atlantic, returns to Amsterdam

This incident happened on Thursday, September 17, 2026, and involves KLM flight KL735, operating from Amsterdam (AMS) to Curacao (CUR). The flight was operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with the registration code PH-BVP.

The plane took off from Amsterdam at 3:21PM, just under two hours after its scheduled departure time of 1:25PM. The flight operated as scheduled for around 2hr30min, making its way southwest toward the Caribbean island of Curacao.

Unfortunately at that point a major issue arose. A business class passenger’s power bank caught fire, causing damage to the seat and cabin. Fortunately the crew was able to quickly extinguish the fire, though this part of the cabin still looks super rough.

At that point the decision was made for the plane to return to Amsterdam, where the plane safely landed back at 8:42PM, around 5hr20min after it first departed. Passengers were rebooked on other flights, and I imagine this plane will be out of service for some time.

The passenger violating power bank rules was the former CEO

KLM has strict rules around the use of power banks. Passengers are permitted to carry up to two power banks on flights, the batteries must be contained within carry-on bags, and must remain visible. They also can’t be used during the flight.

So, who was this inconsiderate passenger who caused the fire? It was none other than Camiel Eurlings, who had a brief stint at KLM CEO from 2013 until 2014, and is now a politician.

It’s not clear if Eurlings wasn’t familiar with rules around using power banks onboard flights, or if he just thought the rules didn’t apply to him. He was reportedly using the power bank while sleeping. That’s not only reckless, but also insanely stupid, given that he could’ve just charged electronics via the in-seat power supply. I can only imagine how awkward that flight back to Amsterdam must’ve been…

So, will KLM be pursuing action against him for damages? A spokesperson for the airline has shared that the company doesn’t plan to issue any fines to him. I would assume he has travel privileges on account of being a former CEO, so you’d think those would be taken away, or something. But nope, it sounds like he’s getting off easy here.

Bottom line

A KLM flight had a cabin fire over the Atlantic Ocean, after a power bank caught fire while a passenger was reportedly sleeping. The plane then had to return to Amsterdam, leading to a five plus hour “flight to nowhere.”

While we see power bank fires every so often due to the volume of people who travel by air, the wild detail here is that it’s the company’s former CEO who was the culprit. Yikes.

What do you make of this KLM power bank fire?