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Southwest Airlines
A flight scheduled to depart from El Paso bound for Houston on Wednesday experienced a significant delay when a passenger’s cellphone caught fire just before takeoff. This incident led to a complete evacuation and necessitated switching to another plane.
Flight 2112, which was set to leave from El Paso International Airport at 7:20 a.m., came to a stop while moving towards the runway due to an issue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the aircraft went back to the terminal shortly after 7:50 a.m. This event was officially described as a “passenger disruption.”
In a statement provided to the
National Post
The FAA stated, “On Wednesday morning, April 30, Southwest Airlines Flight 2112 headed back to its gate at El Paso International Airport in Texas approximately at 7:50 a.m. local time due to a report of disruptive behavior from passengers as they were preparing for takeoff.”
In an official statement from Southwest Airlines, a representative provided additional details regarding the problem’s origin. The rep explained: “On Monday morning, Southwest flight 2112 was compelled to return to the terminal at El Paso International Airport because a mobile device’s battery within one passenger’s possession caught fire.” According to them, “Flight personnel swiftly put out the flames before all travelers safely left the aircraft via the boarding gate as usual. Currently, Southwest is collaborating closely with relevant federal and municipal investigation bodies.” Furthermore, they emphasized, “Our top priority here at Southwest remains the safety of both our customers and employees.”
The passengers had to wait for almost five hours before they could board a substitute plane at 12:09 p.m. They finally arrived at Houston’s Hobby Airport at 3:01 p.m., following an uneventful journey.
This issue isn’t new for the airline; they’ve had previous encounters with smartphone fires during flights. Back in November 2024, an analogous incident took place aboard a Houston-bound plane when it was parked at the gate of Denver International Airport.
It’s not the first occurrence where an airplane experienced a fire linked to a mobile device. Back in November 2024, during another flight destined for Houston, a comparable situation happened even before takeoff at Denver International Airport. At that time, escape chutes were activated for those seated towards the back of the aircraft, and some individuals sustained slight wounds; notably, the individual owning the phone received burn injuries. Conversely, no casualties have been documented as part of this recent episode occurring en route to El Paso.
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