Baggage Cart Bursts Into Flames at Milan's Malpensa Airport

A fire broke out involving a baggage handling cart at Milan Malpensa Airport on Sunday, August 16, 2026, near ground operations connected to a British Airways flight on the London route. Initial reports speculated that a lithium battery in a passenger's bag was to blame, but Italy's national news agency ANSA and several other outlets have since reported that airport sources have ruled out lithium batteries, attributing the fire instead to a short circuit in the cart itself, possibly worsened by high summer temperatures.

The fire involved a baggage cart operated by Aviapartner, the airport's ground handling contractor. Most recent reports indicate the cart had just finished unloading bags from a British Airways flight that had arrived from London, though at least one outlet described the cart as being used to load bags onto an outbound flight to London at the time; this detail has not been fully reconciled across reporting. Airport firefighters rushed to the scene and extinguished the flames within minutes.

What Happened on the Ramp

Ground handling staff reportedly noticed smoke and flames coming from the cart while it was crossing the ramp area, and initially attempted to contain the fire with a portable extinguisher before firefighters completed the job. Workers moved nearby equipment out of the way to prevent the fire from spreading. Photos and video circulating online, including footage filmed by a passenger waiting to board a London-bound flight, showed dense black smoke rising from the equipment and firefighting vehicles arriving on the scene.

Impact on Passengers

Early reports indicated a British Airways flight to London, BA585, was delayed by roughly two and a half hours; more recent reporting suggests the incident had limited impact on the affected flight and did not disrupt broader airport operations. British Airways has not released a detailed public statement addressing the exact operational impact.

The carrier typically compensates passengers for luggage lost or damaged during handling under standard international rules, and passengers whose bags were affected are advised to contact the airline directly.

Lithium Battery Context, Now Less Directly Applicable

Fires involving lithium ion batteries have become a major concern for the aviation industry, and early coverage of this incident drew comparisons to a far more serious case from January 2025, when a power bank stored in an overhead bin ignited aboard an Air Busan Airbus A321 in South Korea, destroying the aircraft and injuring 27 people during the evacuation. That event prompted airlines worldwide, including British Airways, to tighten their power bank policies earlier this year.

With Italian authorities now attributing this incident to a short circuit rather than a battery fault, that comparison appears to be less directly applicable here, even though lithium battery fires remain a genuine and separate concern industry-wide. The US Federal Aviation Administration continues to track a steady rise in lithium battery incidents on aircraft in recent years.

Milan Malpensa Operations

Milan Malpensa serves as a major hub for both business and leisure travelers heading to and from the United Kingdom. British Airways operates flights between Malpensa and London Heathrow.

Multiple reports indicate operations at the airport were not significantly disrupted by the incident, with the fire contained to the cart and nearby luggage.

Italian aviation authorities are expected to review the incident alongside British Airways and Aviapartner. Investigators will likely work to confirm the precise cause and the cart's exact role in relation to the inbound and outbound British Airways flights involved, given some remaining inconsistency in early reporting on that point.