British Airways baggage container catches fire at Milan airport after unloading

A British Airways baggage container burst into flames minutes after being unloaded from an aircraft.

Footage showed a blaze erupting from a luggage can which had just been unloaded from an A321neo at Milan Malpensa airport on Sunday afternoon.

Fire crews were seen rapidly arriving on the stand as black smoke appeared to billow out of the grey container.

While a lithium ion battery was initially thought to be the likely culprit, the cause was identified to be a short circuit in the loading machinery, known as a unit loading device, operated by BA’s handling partner Avia.

Other speculated causes included the heat, with temperatures reaching 35C in Italy’s second largest city.

The incident delayed the return flight to London Heathrow by nearly two-and-a-half hours as emergency services made the area safe, Corriere della Sera reported.

British Airways confirmed a small number of passengers’ bags had been damaged in the fire and that an investigation was underway to establish the cause of the incident.

A spokesperson for the airline said: ‘We’re aware of small a number of checked bags that were damaged by fire while on the ground in Milan Malpensa Airport.

‘The incident was quickly dealt with and there were no injuries or impact to any flights.

‘We’ve been in contact with the small number of customers whose bags are affected to apologise and provide support.

‘We are working closely with our partners and an investigation is underway to establish to cause.’

It comes amid successive warnings over the danger of lithium ion batteries on planes, which are prohibited in hold luggage by aviation regulations.

The concerns are well-founded given the perilous prospect of a fire in a contained space such as an aircraft, potentially at high altitude.

In January 2025, a plane was destroyed after a power bank ignited in an overhead locker.

The Air Busan aircraft was sat on the tarmac at Gimhae Airport in South Korea when it became engulfed in flames.

The incident prompted IATA to launch a campaign to encourage passengers to ‘travel smart with lithium batteries’.