"Increased Flights Lead to More Fires"
"Due to Thinner and Smaller Size Causing Pressure"
According to an investigation, incidents of fires caused by batteries carried by passengers on board are increasing.
According to data obtained by the office of Lee Yeon-hee, a member of the National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on the 3rd, there have been a total of 13 in-flight battery fires since 2020. In-flight battery fires were only 2 cases in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, 0 cases in 2021, and 0 cases in 2022, but last year there were 6 cases, and from January to August this year, 5 cases were recorded. It appears that as air travel expanded after the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of battery fires occurring on board has also increased.
By airline, Korean Air had 4 cases, Jeju Air and Air Busan had 2 cases each, and Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, T'way Air, Eastar Jet, and Air Premia each had 1 case.
Portable batteries are classified as dangerous goods for air transport and are regulated so that they are not checked in but carried by passengers in the cabin. However, recently, there have been increasing failures to detect batteries placed in checked baggage during screening. The number of battery screening failures at airports nationwide was 1 case last year and 3 cases this year. When batteries are placed in checked baggage, the risk of ignition and explosion increases due to physical shocks and temperature changes.
The time taken to extinguish the fires was mostly within 1 to 5 minutes.
An official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said, "Recently released portable batteries have become thinner and smaller than before, causing more fires due to pressure when caught between seat gaps," adding, "Attention from passengers and air transport operators is required."
Portable batteries for charging mobile phones must be carried in the cabin. Up to 5 batteries under 100Wh and up to 2 batteries between 100Wh and 160Wh can be brought on board. Portable handheld fans with built-in lithium batteries, disposable lithium batteries, and spare lithium batteries are also only allowed in the cabin. Laptops, tablets, and mobile phones must not be checked in as baggage.
When using portable strollers or wheelchairs at the airport and checking them in at the gate before boarding, care must be taken to ensure that items such as mobile phones, charging batteries, and tablets are not left in the storage compartments. Also, for flights to Japan, wireless hair irons with non-removable batteries are prohibited both as carry-on and checked baggage, so travelers should be cautious when traveling to Japan.
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