A jet fire last month has brought South Korea’s air safety issues back into the spotlight, and fresh data confirms this.
According to government data, 13 planes fires caused by electronic device batteries occurred on South Korean airlines between 2020 and 2024, the Korea Herald said on Sunday.
The Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Ministry of South Korea revealed the new statistics as the nation’s air safety issuers received fresh attention following a jet fire last month.
Nine power banks, a telephone battery, an e-cigarette battery carried by a passenger. and thirteen fires were all directly caused by electronic batteries.
There has been no evidence of the cause of the other two fires.
No significant harm
The data that was made public shows that there was one battery-related fire in 2020, six in 2023, and six more in 2024.
None of the events resulted in significant damage to the aircraft, since the fires were extinguished after ranging from 20 seconds to five minutes.
A preliminary investigation into the January 28 fire on an Air Busan aircraft suggests that a power bank may have been the cause of the incident, raising concerns about batteries on aircraft across the country.
Airlines nationwide have implemented new power bank safety protocols in response to the incidents, including prohibiting travelers from bringing them in overhead bins.
