SKorea s new lithium battery rules on planes highlight growing risk for aviation

SEOUL - South Korea tightened rules on carrying lithium batteries on planes from Saturday, highlighting a growing risk to flights worldwide from the batteries used in cellphones and e-cigarettes which can malfunction to produce smoke, fire or extreme heat.

Last year three incidents a fortnight of overheating lithium batteries on planes were recorded globally by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, compared to just under one a week in 2018.

Aviation has long recognised the increasingly used batteries as a safety concern, and rules are periodically tightened in response to accidents.

From Saturday, passengers on South Korean airlines should keep power banks and e-cigarettes on their person and not in overhead cabin bins. Devices should not be charged on board, and battery quantity and strength limits will be enforced.

Korean authorities said the measures were in response to public anxiety about fires after an Air Busan plane was consumed in flames in January while waiting to take off.

Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire, but a preliminary investigation statement on Thursday said it started in a cabin overhead locker after boarding.

All 170 passengers and six crew were evacuated before the aircraft was destroyed. The fire was detected around 20 minutes after the delayed flight had originally been scheduled to depart.

Existing cabin crew firefighting procedures have been demonstrated to be effective for all (lithium battery) incidents which have occurred in-flight. However if such an incident occurs while on the ground, the safest option is to evacuate the aircraft, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association said.

Cabin crew are trained to put out flames with extinguishers, cool the battery with liquid, and isolate the device in fire containment pouches or boxes.

HUNDREDS ON EACH PLANE

Lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries are types of non-rechargeable and