Ubiquitous power sources in mobile devices seen as a fire risk
PUBLISHED : 1 Mar 2025 at 20: 36
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze on an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, on Jan 28. The carrier subsequently banned passengers from storing power banks in overhead bins. (Photo: Yonhap via Reuters)
SEOUL – South Korea has tightened rules on carrying lithium batteries on planes, highlighting a growing risk to flights worldwide from the batteries used in everything from mobile phones to e-cigarettes which can malfunction to produce smoke, fire or extreme heat.
Last year, an average of three incidents every two weeks of overheating lithium batteries on planes were recorded globally by the US Federal Aviation Administration, compared to under one a week in 2018.
The aviation industry has long recognised the increasingly used batteries as a safety concern, and rules are periodically tightened in response to accidents.
Effective from Saturday, passengers on South Korean airlines must keep power banks and e-cigarettes on their person and not in overhead cabin bins. Devices should not be charged on board, and battery quantity and strength limits will be enforced.
Passengers will be permitted to carry up to five 100-watt-hour portable batteries, while batteries over 160-watt-hours won’t be allowed. The batteries will also need
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