The Civil Aviation Authority Airline has advised passengers to ensure their power banks are in good condition and from reputable brands before boarding flights.
The warning comes after Civil Aviation Authority inspectors said they suspected a power bank caused a fire on an Air Busan aircraft preparing to depart from South Korea for Hong Kong.
The cause of the fire that engulfed the Air Busan aircraft at Gimhae International Airport in the country’s south on Tuesday is still being investigated, but local media reports indicate that a power bank stowed in an overhead locker started it.
Authorities initially reported three injuries but increased the number to seven on Wednesday. The country’s transport ministry reported that one person remained in the hospital. Inflatable slides were used to evacuate 169 passengers, seven flight attendants, and staff from the Airbus A321 aircraft.
Lo Kok-keung, a retired engineering professor who provides expert witness testimony in traffic accidents, advised passengers on Thursday to check their power banks to ensure they were in good condition and to avoid bringing old ones on board.
He said the internal insulator or wires in older power banks may wear down over time, resulting in a short circuit.
“If it creates a short circuit it can create a high temperature and burn the internal materials and create a fire … which can burn clothing in the baggage.” Lo stated that the reaction could occur suddenly, causing a small fire to quickly become large.
Purchase reputable power bank brands
To be safe, he suggested that passengers keep power banks in their possession rather than storing them. He also advised passengers to avoid using them on flights. Lo also said that it was critical to purchase power banks from reputable power bank brands.
Warren Chim Wing-nin, deputy chairman of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers’ aircraft division, advised passengers to cover all connection points on power banks when not in use to prevent short circuits.
However, he stated that the primary concern was to ensure that power banks were of high quality. “If it is not a good product, of course, the risk will be much higher,” said the doctor.
Chim stated that, while power banks were required to undergo UN tests, there was no accreditation or safety systems in place for airport security or cabin crew to distinguish between good and bad devices.
If passengers notice power banks producing “abnormal heat” or beginning to smoke, they should immediately notify the cabin crew, he said.
According to the International Air Transport Association, the airline industry’s trade body, power banks are considered “spare lithium batteries” and must be carried on rather than checked luggage. However, some restrictions still apply to carry-on power banks.
Under guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), an agency under the United Nations (UN), shared by Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department, lithium battery devices used as power sources, such as power banks, should not exceed a watt-hour (Wh) rating of 100.
They should also be individually protected to prevent short circuits, such as by returning them to their original retail packaging or taping exposed terminals.
Power Bank Explodes on Air Asia Flight
Passengers on Hong Kong carriers such as Cathay Pacific Airways and HK Express can bring up to 20 spare batteries under 100Wh, while devices ranging from 100Wh to 160Wh can only bring two. Emergencies on passenger planes caused by power banks catching fire are not uncommon.
Last February, a flight from Air Aisa Philippines to Shanghai had to make an emergency landing in Hong Kong after a passenger’s power bank exploded while charging an iPad. The iPad also reportedly caught fire after being disconnected. The incident resulted in no injuries.
Also that month, a power bank reportedly exploded on a Thai AirAsia flight from Bangkok about 30 minutes after takeoff. The aircraft made it to its destination on time after the crew and passengers put out the fire.
In 2023, two passengers were injured after a power bank exploded shortly before take-off on board a Scoot Airlines flight from Singapore to Taipei.
The aircraft returned to its gate safely, but the owner of the power bank and another passenger reportedly sustained “minor burns” to their fingers.
