Safe to travel on a flight with a swollen Apple Watch battery?

Like others here, my Apple Watch screen popped off at the end of a flight, and it looks like the battery is swollen....perhaps due to cabin pressurisation differences?

I’m flying back home in a week and won’t have access to an Apple store beforehand (I’m in a remote area of Norway). I was worried about flying back from Bergen, with the battery in this state, and contacted Apple support.

They advised me not to dispose of the watch, but to “pack it as safely as possible” in my luggage and travel with it so that I can have it looked at once back home.

Can that be right? Surely the airline would have a fit if I tried to do that, certainly in hold luggage but I’d even be worried taking it in my hand luggage.

Anyone have any experience with this? Perhaps the cabin crew would have a safe box to store what could be a damaged lithium battery?

Thanks in advance.