A WOMAN on a Melbourne-bound flight has suffered burns after the battery-operated headphones she was wearing exploded and caught fire.

The passenger was listening to music and napping on a recent flight from Beijing to Melbourne when about two hours into the journey the headphones caught fire and an apparent explosion jolted her from her slumber.

“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.

“I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”