Virgin Australia flight met by firefighters at Melbourne airport after smoke seen coming from vape

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Daisy DumasMarch 16, 2026 at 05:26 AM

AI Summary

medium article 2 min

A Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Melbourne was met by firefighters on Sunday after smoke was seen coming from a vape device shortly before landing. Flight VA 328 landed safely, and all passengers disembarked normally after a passenger alerted the crew to the smoke. The pilots declared a "pan" to signify the situation required expedited arrival. Firefighters removed the vape from the plane as a precaution. Vapes, which contain lithium batteries, are required to be stored in carry-on luggage due to the risk of fire. Experts say vape batteries are more prone to failure than power banks due to lower quality and lack of safety features.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Hobart 30% Boeing 737 40% Sydney 40% CSIRO 40% Adam Best 50% Brisbane 50% Melbourne Airport ×270% Melbourne ×370% Virgin Australia ×590%

Keywords

vape 100% flight safety 80% lithium battery 70% thermal runaway 60% fire 60% melbourne airport 50% portable electronic device 50% virgin australia 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.20

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Melbourne

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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vape flight safety lithium battery thermal runaway fire melbourne airport portable electronic device virgin australia

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