It was revealed that last year alone, there were six incidents of fires caused by mobile batteries brought on board by passengers, and five more incidents have already occurred this year.
On the 3rd, the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee reported that a total of 13 in-flight battery fires have occurred since 2020.
In-flight battery fires were relatively rare in 2020, with only two cases reported, due to the sharp reduction in the number of flights caused by the spread of COVID-19. No incidents were reported in 2021 and 2022, but last year saw six cases, and five incidents were recorded between January and August this year.
Since 2020, the number of in-flight battery fires by airline, up until August this year, includes four incidents with Korean Air, two with Jeju Air and Air Busan, and one each with Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, T'way Air, Eastar Jet, and Air Premia.
Mobile batteries are considered hazardous items when boarding a plane and cannot be placed in checked luggage. Passengers are required to carry them onboard to ensure any fire can be quickly extinguished in the cabin. Most fires were extinguished within 1 to 5 minutes.
However, there has been an increase in cases where batteries are mistakenly included in checked luggage, escaping detection during inspection.
When batteries are in checked baggage, they pose a higher risk of fire or explosion due to physical impact or temperature changes.
The number of inspection failures related to batteries at airports nationwide was zero from 2020 to 2022, but rose to one case last year and three cases so far this year.
In the event of a battery fire on board, domestic airlines use fire extinguishers for initial suppression and then submerge the battery in water or a non-alcoholic liquid to prevent re-ignition.
A representative from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport stated, "Recently released mobile batteries are thinner and more compact than before, and there has been an increase in fires caused by pressure when they get caught in seat gaps. Passengers should be especially careful."
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