A mobile phone caught fire on board an aircraft … and then the fire extinguisher failed to work. 

The drama happened on a Jet Airways flight from Delhi to Indore in India, according to the Hindustan Times. 

The Samsung Galaxy J7 caught fire just 15 minutes after the plane with 120 people on board took off. 

The smartphone was inside a handbag along with two other mobile phones. Once the passenger detected smoke they handed over the device to the flight attendant but apparently the fire extinguisher in the cabin was not working so the crew member was forced to pour water over it. 

Samsung India's spokesperson said: "We are in touch with relevant authorities for more information. At Samsung, customer safety is top priority." 

The scare follows the disastrous launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones in 2016 which were all recalled after several caught fire due to battery problems … some on board aircraft. 

The recall of millions of devices cost the world's largest smartphone maker billions of dollars in lost profits and hammered its global reputation. 

Special fire-retardant bags called AvSax specifically designed to deal with fires in electronic devices are now on board several major US carriers.

The AvSax is used when lithium-ion batteries in mobile phones or other electronic devices catch fire.

Simply pour at least two litres of water into an AvSax and then drop the burning device into the bag. The water activates the polymer gel inside the bag causing it to expand around the device. Should the device keep on venting then the AvSax is tough enough to absorb the force.

In short, the AvSax cools the batteries in the device, reducing the likelihood of the battery catching fire but if it does go into what is known as thermal runaway it is all contained within the bag.

They have been deployed on aircraft 20 times so far this year.