A South Korean airline has become the first in the world to ban power banks in hand luggage as a ‘preemptive measure’ after an inferno ripped through one of its passenger jets last month.
Travellers onboard Air Busan flights are now forbidden from putting their portable chargers in any bags going into overhead lockers.
This means they will be forced to keep the travel devices on them at all times, or in their under-seat luggage.
Some airlines already have rules in place prohibiting passengers from bringing power banks in checked luggage going into the hold.
This is due to the risk of lithium-ion batteries overheating and causing fires in the cargo hold.
All passengers and crew members on board the Air Busan plane that caught fire on January 28 were safely evacuated, but four were said to have sustained minor injuries.
The Hong-Kong-bound flight caught fire just before take-off at Gimhae International Airport in Busan.
Air Busan has banned portable power banks from going in hand luggage
The airline said the move is a precaution after one of its passenger jets caught fire last month
An investigation is currently underway to determine what sparked the fire, but it is believed to have been a power bank.
The recent in-flight inferno came a month after South Korea’s deadliest air disaster that killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew members on board.
The Jeju Air plane crashed as it descended towards Muan International Airport’s runway as it made an emergency belly landing after taking off from Bangkok on Sunday 29 December.
The aircraft is believed to have experienced a landing gear malfunction.
Dramatic footage broadcast by local MBC-TV also showed the moment the aircraft started to show some sort of explosion out of one side as it neared the airport.
After the crash, Jeju Air chief executive, Kim E-bae offered a lengthy apology that was translated by The Guardian.
The move was announced by South Korean airline Air Busan
An Air Busan plane caught fire last month at Gimhae International Airport in Busan South Korea
Firefighters try to put out the fire from an Air Busan plane at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, January 28, 2025
The tail of a passenger aircraft caught fire at an international airport in South Korea’s second-largest city on January 28, forcing the evacuation of 176 people on board
‘First, we bow our heads in apology to everyone who has trusted Jeju Air. At approximately 9:03am on 29 December, flight 7C2216 from Bangkok to Muan caught fire while landing at Muan International Airport.
‘Above all, we express our deepest condolences and apologies to the families of the passengers who lost their lives in this accident.
‘At present, the cause of the accident is difficult to determine, and we must await the official investigation results from the relevant government agencies.
It was later reported that the two black boxes on the Boeing jet stopped recording about four minutes before the accident.