All Domestic Airlines Ban Use of Portable Batteries In-Flight

According to Financial News, all domestic airlines have now completely banned the use of portable batteries inside aircraft cabins.
The airline industry said on the 20th that T'way Air has notified passengers it will prohibit charging portable batteries in the cabin, as well as using portable batteries to charge mobile phones or other electronic devices, starting on the 23rd.
T'way Air has instructed passengers who need to charge electronic devices to use the seat power outlets. On aircraft types without such outlets, passengers are advised to fully charge their devices before boarding.
Passengers are still allowed to bring portable batteries into the cabin. However, they must take measures to prevent short circuits, such as covering the terminals with insulating tape or placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or pouch, and then keep them in a visible location such as the seat-back pocket.
With T'way Air joining the policy, all 11 domestic airlines have now banned the use of portable batteries in the cabin.
Earlier, Eastar Jet conducted a three-month trial ban on in-flight use of portable batteries starting in October last year, then made the measure permanent this year. Jeju Air and five Hanjin Group carriers—Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jin Air, Air Busan and Air Seoul—followed suit last month.
Air Premia and Aero K Airlines also banned the use of portable batteries in the cabin starting on the 1st of this month. Parata Air has enforced the ban since it began operations in September last year.
These tighter restrictions were introduced after a portable battery fire on an Air Busan passenger jet at Gimhae International Airport in January last year, followed by a series of similar incidents in Korea and overseas.
However, the ban on using portable batteries is expected to cause inconvenience for passengers on aircraft without charging ports in the cabin. Most Korean Air and Asiana Airlines aircraft provide wired charging in the cabin, but many low-cost carriers (LCCs) do not.
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter