Fire hazard: airlines from Asia are tightening regulations for power banks
There are already various rules for carrying power banks on airplanes. Airlines from East Asia are tightening them now, likely out of concern about fires.
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A month and a half after a fire broke out on an Air Busan plane at the airport of the eponymous metropolis in South Korea, more and more airlines from East Asia are tightening the rules for carrying power banks. South Korean airlines have banned the stowage of portable batteries and e-cigarettes in the overhead compartment since March 1. More and more airlines are now following suit.
Last week, Thai Airways banned the use of power banks on planes, and yesterday, Wednesday, Singapore Airlines and its subsidiary Scoot published similar regulations. The Taiwanese airlines China Airlines and Eva Air have also banned the use of power banks on their aircraft since the beginning of March.
Charging via power bank is increasingly prohibited
The strictest rules are still those that apply to all airlines in South Korea. As the news agency Reuters explained in mid-February, passengers there are only allowed to take a maximum of five power banks with a capacity of up to 100 watt-hours each on board. These may not be charged on board and may not be stored in the overhead compartments, so they must be kept within easy reach. Thai Airways does not go quite that far, but from March 15, passengers will not be allowed to charge their devices using a power bank. Air Asia has also tightened the rules. On Singapore Airlines and Scoot, power banks may also not be used and explicitly may not be charged via USB ports on board.
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According to consistent reports, the background to the stricter rules is an incident at Busan Airport. A fire broke out in the cabin of an Air Busan Airbus shortly before take-off on January 28, and all 176 passengers had to be evacuated. Several people were injured. Investigations have revealed that the fire broke out in the baggage compartment, but it is still unclear exactly how. Nevertheless, the regulations for handling power banks were subsequently tightened in South Korea; more and more airlines from the region are following suit. This is also because the security of power banks is less strictly controlled than that of laptops, for example, according to an expert quoted by the New York Times.
According to the newspaper, the number of fires on board US airplanes in connection with lithium-ion batteries has risen sharply in recent years. Power banks are the most common cause, followed by e-cigarettes. However, crews are usually well-prepared for this and can put devices that get too hot in protective sleeves. This is another reason why power banks and extra batteries must not be checked in with luggage, but must be taken into the cabin, explains the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Anyone who wants to use power banks on an airplane should therefore inform themselves before the flight; Lufthansa, for example, already prohibits charging them.
(mho)
