Power Bank Sparks Air Busan Blaze: Safety Concerns Rise

A fire engulfing an Air Busan plane in January may have started due to a spare power bank, according to South Korea's transport ministry. The blaze, burning the Airbus A321ceo utterly, raises concerns over lithium batteries on flights, leading to stricter regulations to prevent future incidents.

In January, a fire broke out on an Air Busan flight, potentially sparked by a spare power bank, as revealed by South Korea's transport ministry in interim results released on Friday.

Scorch marks found on the power bank indicate that a breakdown in the insulation inside the battery may have instigated the fire. However, investigators remain uncertain about the exact cause of this breakdown.

Recognizing lithium batteries as an aviation safety concern, South Korea is enforcing stricter regulations. These include preventing power banks and e-cigarettes from being stored in overhead bins following recent global incidents of overheating batteries on flights.

(With inputs from agencies.)