A Lufthansa flight from Los Angeles to Munich was diverted to Boston early Thursday, on April 24, after a passenger’s iPad became lodged in a business-class seat, which prompted safety concerns.
Flight LH453 crew members, citing the risk of the device overheating and igniting, elected to land at Logan International Airport at approximately 2:30 a.m. local time. Lufthansa reported that the iPad showed visible deformation, which heightened the perceived fire hazard.
Once on the ground, a Lufthansa technical team safely extracted the device from the seat without incident. The aircraft departed Boston shortly thereafter and arrived in Munich at 4:35 p.m. Central European Time—about three hours behind schedule. All 461 passengers remained unharmed.
A Lufthansa spokesperson told Business Insider that the diversion was “a purely precautionary measure” to mitigate any risk associated with a damaged lithium-ion battery. Air traffic controllers and the flight crew agreed the unscheduled stop was necessary “to eliminate any potential risk, particularly with regard to possible overheating,” the spokesperson added.
Lithium-ion batteries can enter thermal runaway if crushed or punctured, leading to rapid overheating or fire in the confined cabin environment. Last year, a Breeze Airways flight from Los Angeles to Pittsburgh made an emergency landing after a passenger’s laptop caught fire; that device’s owner was the only person injured among 88 on board.
Passengers on LH453 received overnight accommodations and continued to Munich on the next available flight. No further disruptions were reported.