Airlines are banning the use of these popular travel gadgets due to fire risk

An aviation expert says Australia could be next to ban the use of a popular travel gadget on flights after an aircraft was engulfed in flames in South Korea.

South Korean airline Air Busan has introduced strict new rules banning power banks in luggage stored in overhead cabin bins, after one of its planes caught fire in January 2025.

AAP said Air Busan introduced the rule as a preventative measure after the fire was detected by a flight attendant in an overhead luggage bin, and all passengers were evacuated safely.

Passengers on board Air Busan planes must now carry their portable power banks and spare batteries (lithium-ion batteries that are not installed in a device) on their person, so any overheating, smoke or fire can quickly be spotted and dealt with.

The airline has gone one step further, ruling matches and lighters, and electronic cigarettes, must now be carried by passengers and not placed in the overhead luggage bins.

These items must also be individually packed, sealed in a plastic pouch or insulated to prevent short circuits.

Taiwan's Eva Air has also revised its power banks policy, banning the use and charging of power banks and lithium batteries throughout the flight.

They suggest passengers "fully charge them before boarding" rather than relying on the seat-back charging ports to charge their power banks.

Global aviation standards say power banks and spare lithium batteries are prohibited in checked baggage on all airlines as they can short circuit and cause intense fires.

Portable power banks are becoming increasingly popular gadgets for travellers who rely on their phones for research, maps and entertainment during the flight and at their destination, and use power banks as a convenient way to charge their devices on the go.

RMIT University Department of Aerospace Engineering STEM College's associate professor of aviation and discipline lead for aviation, Chrystal Zhang, said airlines are adapting their rules as mobile devices and power banks become more prevalent.

"An analogy I would like to use is the volume of the liquid that you're allowed to take on board. So you can see that there is regulation applicable, there's a framework, but when it comes to execution, there's always differences [in the individual airline's implementation]," she said.

Dr Zhang said power banks could be dangerous due to their risk of short circuiting, explosion, fire and high temperature, and airlines needed to manage their use because they were not part of the aircraft's own systems.

"The damage caused as a consequence of that is so huge, like the recent incident by Air Busan, the aircraft had to be completely written off," she said.

According to Dr Zhang, power banks are getting so popular in the Asia Pacific that a market value of $1.2 billion in 2023 is forecast to grow to $1.6 billion in 2030.

"It's associated with e-commerce and also the people's reliance on the mobile phone. It's a mobile phone culture," she said.

Dr Zhang expects to see more regulation around the use of power banks and lithium batteries on board Australian aircraft in the future.

Qantas and Virgin Australia ban power banks in checked baggage but you can take them in carry-on and put them in overhead bins in your carry-on bags.

Qantas says there are some batteries that are not permitted on board their aircraft at all, such as car batteries and lithium batteries that exceed 160Wh (with exceptions for mobility batteries with prior approval) but can be sent as dangerous goods freight. See here for more information on specific battery types.

Virgin Australia doesn't have any restrictions on the charging of power banks in seat-back ports. Power banks and batteries not secured in a device are permitted in carry-on provided they do not exceed 160Wh.

Portable electronic devices, including medical devices (e.g. battery powered laptops, mobiles, toothbrushes, power tools, consumer electronics for personal use) are permitted in checked baggage. Find out more here.