Following Air Busan fire, airlines tighten rules on portable batteries, as experts call for stricter management of fire hazards

A notification put up Monday at Incheon Airport reminds passengers that portable chargers cannot be checked in as cargo, along with lighters and e-cigarettes. (Yonhap)
A notification put up Monday at Incheon Airport reminds passengers that portable chargers cannot be checked in as cargo, along with lighters and e-cigarettes. (Yonhap)

South Koreans across the country are expressing concerns over portable batteries and chargers being fire hazards, with speculations that such a device was behind the Jan. 28 fire on an Air Busan aircraft awaiting takeoff in Busan.

Although all passengers and crew managed to evacuate safely from the fire, which badly damaged the fuselage of the plane, Air Busan has banned storage of all types of batteries in overhead bins, mandating that passengers stow inside zipper storage bags underneath the seat or inside the seat pocket.

South Korean airlines typically ban portable chargers from being in the cargo hold, such as in checked luggage.

(123rf)
(123rf)

The recent scare has been sparked by testimonies from passengers and flight attendants aboard the Air Busan flight that caught fire, which stoked suspicions that the flames originated from inside an overhead bin, possibly ignited by a portable charger. The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, but portable chargers have been at fault for such fires before.

An Eastar Jet flight in July last year experienced a small fire inside the cabin that originated from a portable charger while in midair. A flight attendant extinguished it immediately with water and it caused no damage. Eastar Jet also recently implemented a measure to ban the storage of battery packs in the overhead bins.

Government officials on Monday investigate the Air Busan plane that was recently engulfed by flames on Jan. 28 at Gimhae International Airport in Busan. (Yonhap)
Government officials on Monday investigate the Air Busan plane that was recently engulfed by flames on Jan. 28 at Gimhae International Airport in Busan. (Yonhap)

Portable phone chargers and power banks typically contain lithium-ion batteries that can catch fire or explode due to a short-circuit, significant damage or overheating. The US Federal Aviation Administration last year issued a warning on the potential risk of lithium-ion batteries found inside everyday devices, with FAA data showing that related fires on US flights have risen by 388 percent since 2015.

Experts here have been advising airlines to keep track of portable chargers, such as via keeping a list of passengers with such devices.

Choi In-chan, a former commercial pilot professor of aeronautical science at Silla University, said in a radio interview that there is "substantial possibility" that a portable charger did lead to the fire, although stressing that the government probe has not yet pinpointed that as the cause.

"The quickest measure would be to check if a passenger has a portable charger when he or she checks in at the counter. If one does, the passenger must be provided with a plastic bag to easily check the status at all times," he said, adding that the airline must keep track of a list of passengers with charging devices.

Jeong Yun-sik, a professor of aeronautical science at Catholic Kwandong University, said there must be a safety procedure such as storing batteries adjacent to a water source that could be used to extinguish the fire. He noted that all passengers must be mindful that portable chargers are a potential safety hazard that must be managed with care.