Recently, as a supplementary battery is pointed out as the cause of the fire involving an AIR BUSAN passenger plane at Gimhae International Airport, the government is considering a plan to mandate that lithium supplementary batteries be stored in plastic bags when brought on board. The aviation industry is also advising passengers not to store supplementary batteries in the overhead bin, but to carry them instead, because if a fire occurs while they are stored in the bin, the response will be delayed.
Starting from the 7th, AIR BUSAN will check for the presence of supplementary batteries at the boarding gate and will only allow verified luggage to be stored in the overhead bin. Additionally, at the reservation, ticketing, and boarding procedures, the airline will obtain consent regarding the prohibition of storing supplementary batteries in the overhead bin, and will send out a notification text before departure.
Experts advise that in order to safely carry supplementary batteries, one should wrap the terminals (the ends that connect the electrodes) in plastic or similar materials and carry them directly. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that all spare lithium batteries must be removed from bags and stored by passengers. To prevent fires, it also requires that the battery terminals be covered with tape or stored in plastic bags or protective pouches. Airlines such as Turkish Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and EVA Air also have guidelines to store batteries in their original packaging or in plastic.
Storing the batteries directly allows for an immediate response in case of a fire. Woo Seok, a professor in fire safety engineering at Woosong University, noted, "Wrapping the batteries being brought into the aircraft in plastic bags will be effective in preventing short circuits, among other things." He added, "For lithium battery fires, submerging the batteries in water is the best way to extinguish them. By keeping the batteries in visible areas, we can minimize the risk of nearby flammable materials catching fire, and in case of a fire, we can submerge the initial battery in water or extinguish it sufficiently with a fire extinguisher."