It literally blew up in his face.
A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flight had to turn back partway across the ocean after a power bank reportedly belonging to the ex-CEO exploded midflight.
The backfire occurred while KLM Flight 735 reportedly ferrying 322 passengers from Amsterdam in the Netherlands to the Caribbean Island of Curacao on September 17, RTL News reported.
An anonymous female passenger told the outlet that former KLM boss Camiel Eurlings, who was allegedly sitting near her in business class, was charging a power bank.
While these gadgets are allowed aboard airplanes, passengers are prohibited from using them inflight due to the fire hazard posed by their lithium batteries, according to Live and Let’s Fly.
Disaster struck about 5.5 hours into the flight, when the portable charging device reportedly burst into flames. The fly-witness told the Dutch outlet that “a bang was heard” followed by “an immediate fire” with “large flames” roaring up over the seat.
X footage and photos show ash on the armrest and a charred window cover with a spiderweb crack, although KLM stated it cannot confirm the authenticity of the pics.
Meanwhile, Eurlings reportedly sustained minor injuries due to the inflight inferno — in other words, he was literally in the hot seat.
While crews quickly extinguished the blaze, the captain decided to make a U-turn over the Atlantic and return to Amsterdam.
The aircraft touched down safely at Schiphol at roughly 8:40 p.m., nearly 11 hours after taking off.
They finally departed for Curacao Friday morning aboard a new aircraft.
The unnamed passenger commended the cabin crew for responding “very quickly and appropriately.”
Following the incident, she reportedly spoke to Eurlings, who she claimed was “extremely shocked” and “upset.”
“He feels terrible about the situation and all the inconvenience for everyone,” the flyer insisted.
KLM reps haven’t confirmed that Eurlings, who served as the carrier’s CEO in 2013 and 2014, was aboard the aircraft or responsible for the backfire that prompted the flight to nowhere.
However, if passenger accounts are true, this would mean that the former man in “charge” ignored the rules of the very airline he presided over.
Another passenger who was seated at the back of the plane was quick to point out the supposed hypocrisy.
“If you are just a passenger, such a mistake can happen,” they observed. “But if you have enforced the company’s house rules, then this is very strange.”
Meanwhile, one X critic scoffed, “It’s hilarious that the former CEO doesn’t even follow his own rules.”
“Imagine if he’d been the current CEO,” quipped another.
Unfortunately, incidents involving power banks have been on the rise in the friendly skies.
In May, an EasyJet flight from Egypt to England was forced to make an emergency landing after a passenger admitted her device was actively charging in her checked luggage, sparking a fire scare.
“There’s something we shouldn’t have on board,” the captain announced over the intercom, before making an abrupt descent to Rome, Italy.
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