Baggage Container Catches Fire once Unloaded from Aircraft

Last updated: 20 August 2026 08:11

3 Min Read

The incident occurred at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) © Arne Müseler

Over the weekend, a baggage container caught fire and burst into flames minutes after being unloaded from an aircraft that landed at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), Italy.

A British Airways aircraft is pictured in flight. It is pictured straight on from the side, with the nose on the centre left and the tail on the centre right. The plane is mostly white with a navy blue underbelly, blue branding along the fuselage, and a red white and blue British flag on the tail. The background is a pale blue sky with some clouds. — The baggage container that caught fire was unloaded from a British Airways aircraft © Sandro Koechli

Baggage Ablaze

A British Airways aircraft experienced a close call over the weekend as a baggage container caught fire after being removed from an A321neo owned and operated by the airline. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 16, at Milan Malpensa Airport. Footage has surfaced showing black smoke quickly surging from the container after it was unloaded onto the airport apron.

First responder fire crews were seen arriving quickly to subdue the flames and control the situation to avoid harm. The incident delayed the return flight to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) by almost two and a half hours as emergency services worked to ensure the area was safe.

in the centre right of the image, a grey container can be seen with a large cloud of grey and black smoke billowing out from it towards the upper left corner. Behind and beside the container at a short distance are red emergency services vehicles arriving to help. — A bystander captured this image of the container ablaze, posting it to X © Jon Sopel

Investigation Underway

British Airways confirmed in a statement that a small amount of passenger baggage was damaged in the fire, but that no people were harmed. The airline spokesperson said:

‘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.”

While the investigation is ongoing, speculation has focused on the cause of the blaze. Initially, it was suspected that the fire was likely caused by a lithium-ion battery found at the scene. However, a short circuit in the loading machinery, known as a unit loading device, was identified and suggested to be the cause. BA’s handling partner, Avia, operated the unit loading device. The heatwave may also have played a role, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius this week in Milan, Italy’s second-largest city.

What do you think caused the blaze? Let us know in the comments.