Japan and South Korea have moved to tighten aviation safety rules, introducing nationwide restrictions on the use of power banks aboard aircraft amid growing concerns over in-flight battery fires.
Starting Monday 23 February, T’way Air became the last of South Korea’s 11 airlines to prohibit passengers from using power banks to charge electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops or cameras on board any flight.
Korean Air and four Hanjin Group airlines – Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul – had announced similar policies earlier in January.
Passengers may still bring carry banks into the cabin, but the terminals must be sealed with insulating tape. Alternatively, the devices may be placed in a separate pouch and must be within reach at all times, and cannot be stored in overhead compartments.
Air Busan banned passengers from including it in their hand luggage in February 2025, after the airline caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in Busan in January.
Japan’s transport ministry announced that the ban on power banks will begin in April 2026, alongside new limits on the number of mobile batteries allowed up into the aircraft.
High-capacity batteries exceeding 160 watts remain prohibited, while devices under this wattage are limited to two units per traveller.
Mobile batteries are currently not allowed in checked baggage.
According to Japan’s National Institute of Technology and Evaluation reports, there were 123 accidents related to mobile batteries in 2024
