By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 6: Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism have announced a ban on power banks in overhead compartments, effective July 8.
According to a news report from The Japan Times, the move aims to mitigate fire risks on board planes following a series of incidents involving battery packs.
Currently, the ministry prohibits passengers from storing power banks in checked baggage, in accordance with standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
The ministry, working with industry groups such as the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan, will prohibit passengers from storing power banks in overhead compartments, requiring them to charge their devices only in locations where the battery condition can be monitored.
The precaution aims to ensure that any signs of overheating or smoke can be quickly detected and addressed during flights.
Additionally, batteries exceeding 160 watt-hours are prohibited due to potential fire risk, while passengers are limited to carrying two battery packs rated between 100Wh and 160Wh.
On January 28, an aircraft belonging to South Korea’s Air Busan was severely damaged at the Gimhae International Airport in South Korea after a faulty external battery pack caught fire.
Following that, Batik Air, Malaysia Airlines, and AirAsia have introduced measures to enhance their respective in-flight power bank policies. — DayakDaily
