Passengers wishing to fly on South Korean airlines, face revised battery rules effective March 1, 2025. This change follows increasing incidents of cellphone and e-cigarette fires on passenger aircraft, generating smoke, fire, and / or extreme heat. We summarize the revised South Korea aircraft battery rules for airline passengers here, as confirmed by China Daily in Hong Kong.
Why Revise South Korea Aircraft Battery Rules Now?
The probability of these aviation incidents occurring continues to increase, suggesting current passenger controls are insufficient. In 2018, US Federal Aviation Administration recorded an average of one passenger aircraft fire a week. Whereas China Daily reports an average of three fires a fortnight, during 2024.
The revised rules, as implemented by South Korea, and governing their aircraft are as follows:
- Passengers on South Korean airlines must keep power banks and e-cigarettes on their persons, not in overhead cabin bins.
- These passengers may not carry more than five,100-watt-hour portable batteries. Those over 160-watt-hours are not allowed on board.
- All batteries taken on board by aircraft passengers, must be stored in clear plastic bags for easy identification.
- Passengers may also not charge batteries while on aircraft. Maximum battery quantities and strengths are non-negotiable.
These rules further restrict the possession and use of batteries on flights. But why are they implementing these tighter South Korea aircraft battery fire rules now?
Was a Recent Passenger Battery Fire the Final Trigger?
The local air passenger industry in South Korea, is still reeling over a recent, devastating aircraft fire. A local passenger airliner burned a week ago, shortly before it was due to take off.
Fortunately, the airplane was still on the ground, and passengers were able to escape using emergency chutes. Authorities are still collecting samples from the wreck for further investigation, however one possible cause seems clear.
Lao news agency reports that some passengers believe the fire began in an overhead storage bin. The tighter South Korea aircraft battery rules could have alerted the battery owner earlier, if, of course, they had complied.
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