Rules regarding flights with portable batteries have become increasingly confused as some Asian airlines change their policies, citing fire risks.
South Korean, Taiwan and Thai airlines have tightened restrictions since the fire destroyed air force fleet planes on South Korean tarmacs in January.
There is no definitive link between the portable battery and the Air Busan fire, and investigations are underway. However, the rules vary between airlines, so you may find that such batteries must be repacked or turned off when boarding a plane. This is what you need to know.
Which airlines changed the rules? What is the reason?
As of March 1st, passengers from all Korean airlines must place their portable chargers out of reach of their arms to exclude fictitious bins. The government has implemented rules to alleviate concerns about the risk of battery fires, the Ministry of Transport said.
Several Taiwan Airlines implemented similar changes that took effect on March 1st. EvaAir and China Airlines have announced a ban on power banking or charging on airplanes, but batteries can still be stored in overhead compartments.
Thai Airways, the flagship airline of Thailand, announced on Friday that it would implement a similar ban. The airline cited “an incident of a flying fire on an international airline suspected to be linked to the use of a power bank.”
Since 2016, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the UN aviation organization that coordinates global aviation regulations, has banned the types of lithium-ion batteries commonly found in power banks from cargo holds from the passenger seat.
However, there is no industry standard for how airlines regulate power banks, said Mitchell Fox, director of the Asia-Pacific Center's Aviation Safety Center.
They have become part of everyday life in recent years, and some consumers may not be aware of the risks, he said. “If there's a new problem, it takes time for everyone to catch up.”
What are the risks behind these batteries?
Lithium-ion batteries have been used for decades to power smartphones and laptops and are commonly used in portable power banks.
Each lithium-ion battery has a cell that can be heated quickly through a chain reaction, grabs fire and explodes. The Federal Aviation Administration warns that this reaction can occur if the battery is damaged, overcharged, overheated, or exposed to water. This can also occur if the battery has manufacturing defects.
Some products that use lithium-ion batteries, including smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles, have strict regulations and quality control standards, said Neeraj Sharma, a professor of chemistry at the University of New South Wales, Australia, who studies batteries. Others, like power banks, e-cigarettes, and vehicles like e-bikes and scooters, are more likely to have malfunctions and are less regulated, he said.
“Make sure you get your devices from trustworthy manufacturers,” Professor Sharma said.
How often does a battery catch fire on a plane?
An increase in incidents involving US airlines lithium-ion batteries. Last year there were 84, up from 32 in 2016. These included cases that were included in both passenger and freight aircraft cabins. According to the FAA, portable chargers were the biggest perpetrators of these cases, followed by e-cigarettes.
Airlines around the world need to pack a spare lithium-ion battery in their carry-on bags, not in check bags, so that they can quickly notice smoke and fires from the battery. With cargo holds, fires may not be detected by the plane's automatic fire guidance system until it is already a serious problem.
“If there's a fire, I'd rather have it in the cabin than checking the baggage. And instead of an overhead bin, I'll bring it closer to people. There it's more difficult to put it out and manage the fire.”
What will the flight crew do when a fire occurs?
Fires in plane cabins caused by lithium-ion batteries are rarely fatal, and flight crews are generally ready to deal with them, Tonkin said.
In many cases, passengers notice that the electronics are overheating and notify the crew. The crew places the device in a cabin locking bag or water to make flights little confusing, and in some cases the flight attendant or passenger notices smoke inside the cabin, discovering that the device is overheating or a fire is occurring.
In 2024, two portable batteries were generated connected to each other along a flight from Bangkok to Seoul run by South Korean budget carrier EastleJet. The flight crew noticed the smoke and reported that they had poured water into the battery and caused the fire.
