SEOUL/TOKYO – Airlines in East Asia have finalised the implementation of the new strict safety measures, which does not allow passengers to use portable power banks during flights due to a set of high-profile battery fires.
South Korea Achieves Industry Wide Consensus
T’way Air was the last carrier in South Korea to implement the ban among the 11 passenger carriers in the country, which was enforced on Monday, 23 February 2026. The move will lead to the realisation of a single safety front that will encompass major airlines like Korean Air and Asiana Airlines and low-cost subsidiaries like Jeju Air and Eastar Jet.
According to the new rules, no passenger is allowed to use portable power banks to charge electronic devices on-board, such as mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. Although the travellers are still required to carry these devices in their hand luggage (because they are not allowed in the checked baggage), they are now required to observe the following safety protocols:
- Terminal Protection: Battery terminals are to be taped or placed in a protective and closed pouch to avoid short-circuiting.
- Accessibility: Power banks should be accessible to the passenger at any time (i.e. in a seat-back pocket) and by no means should be placed in the overhead compartment (fires can intensify rapidly and go undetected).
- Ban on charging: The use of built in seat power ports to charge a device is preferred but the use of power bank to charge a device or power bank itself are prohibited.
The Cue: The 2025 Busan Incident
The crackdown is the response to the sudden increase in the number of lithium-ion battery fires. A serious accident in January of the year 2025, when one Air Busan A321 at Gimhae international airport, caught fire was one of the key factors that pushed the policy shift. The fire that was caused by a power bank that was placed in an overhead bin led to the complete destruction of the aircraft and a number of injuries during the emergency evacuation.
Japan to Enforce Nationwide Requirement in April.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan has ensured that similar restrictions will be implemented nationwide in April 2026. The policy of Japan will go one step further and will severely restrict the number of batteries each traveller possesses:
- Quantity Limits: Two mobile batteries will be a maximum limit on the number of batteries that a passenger carries.
- Capacity Caps: Each battery is not to be over 160 watt-hours (Wh). The equipment that goes over this capacity will not be allowed into the aircraft at all.
The pressing need of such actions is supported by the statistics of the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), Japan, where 123 battery-related accidents were recorded in 2024 alone, which is the highest number in the history of the nation.
Aviation analysts indicate that the portable devices will be powerful enough and the battery density will continue to rise making these fire-prevention first policies be the norm in international travelling within Asia-Pacific region.
