Following a fire on an Air Busan plane last month, the South Korean government’s transportation ministry on Thursday ( Feb 13 ) announced measures to strengthen aviation safety rules. These include limiting the number and type of portable batteries allowed on flights.
The methods take effect on March 1 after an Airbus planes belonging to the North Korean carrier Air Busan caught fire on January 28 at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea as it prepared to board the plane for Hong Kong.
Under the fresh security methods individuals may be permitted to carry up to five 100 watt-hours convenient batteries, while chargers over 160 watt-hours won’t be allowed on board.
The government announced in a statement that security searches would include checking the type and number of batteries and prohibit charging convenient batteries on airplanes.
In line with a similar action made by Air Busan last year, the government announced that it would outlaw passengers from bringing energy banks and e-cigarettes in baggage that were stored in bandwidth cabin bins.
The government said the government made the decision in an effort to address issues about possible portable device fires, but the cause of the fire on the Air Busan plane has not yet been determined.
A flight attendant first noticed the fire in an overhead baggage bin on the back left-hand part of the plane, according to the airline. All passengers on board were carefully evacuated.
Batteries can start powerful burns if they short circuit due to injury or manufacturing defects, according to international aviation requirements.