Laptop fire diverts Pittsburgh-bound flight

Justin Vellucci
Saturday, March 2, 2024 3:06 p.m. | Saturday, March 2, 2024 3:06 p.m.

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This photo provided by CeanOrrett shows a Breeze aircraft. Two new U.S. airlines are planning on starting service this spring, tapping into the travel recovery that is picking up speed. Breeze Airways is next up, the latest creation of David Neeleman, who founded JetBlue Airways more than 20 years ago. (CeanOrrett via AP)

A laptop fire on Friday afternoon diverted a Pittsburgh-bound Breeze Airways flight from Los Angeles to Albuquerque, N.M., according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

Breeze Airways Flight 555 — an Airbus A220-300 plane carrying 88 passengers — landed safely at Albuquerque International Sunport at about 3:30 p.m. Mountain time on Friday, FAA spokesman Donnell Evans told TribLive.

At some point during the flight, a lithium battery in a laptop computer caught fire and released smoke into the cabin, Evans said.

The smoke might have entered the cockpit, a spokeswoman from the New Mexico airport said Saturday.

The FAA plans to investigate.

The passenger whose laptop caught fire was treated and released at the scene, though the extent of their injuries was unknown Saturday.

After passengers spent the night in New Mexico, the flight left Albuquerque for Pittsburgh at 10 a.m. Mountain time Saturday.

A spokesperson at Pittsburgh International Airport forwarded inquiries Saturday to their counterpart in New Mexico.