Airlines in South Korea record 13 plane fires caused by batteries from 2020 to 2024

ISTANBUL

South Korea's airlines suffered from 13 plane fires caused by electronic device batteries from 2020 to 2024, according to government data, the Korea Herald reported Sunday.

The new data, released by South Korea's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, comes as a plane fire last month brought renewed attention to the country's air safety concerns.

The 13 fires were directly caused by electronic batteries, nine by power banks, one was caused by a telephone battery, and another by an e-cigarette battery carried by passengers.

In the case of the two other fires, there has been no indication of the cause.

According to the released data, one battery-related fire occurred in 2020, followed by six such incidents in 2023, and another six in 2024.

As the fires lasted from 20 seconds to five minutes before being put out, none of the incidents caused major damage to the aircraft.

Concerns about batteries on airplanes are growing nationwide, as an initial investigation into the Jan. 28 fire on an Air Busan aircraft indicates that a power bank may be the source of the incident.

As a result of the incidents, airlines across the country have introduced new safety measures for power banks, such as banning passengers from carrying them in overhead bins.