Turkey may soon impose a ban on the use of external batteries or powerbanks on board aircraft due to concerns about the danger these devices pose to aviation safety, after the Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure announced on Monday a series of measures following several recent incidents involving these portable batteries.
As reported by Turkish media in recent hours, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu announced that the Turkish General Directorate of Civil Aviation (SHGM) had sent a notification to the main airlines operating in the country warning of the potential risk to air safety posed by external batteries – which can catch fire if they suffer a compression or shock – and advising airlines to restrict the use of powerbanks during flight, effectively banning their use by passengers.
The minister’s remarks come after an Asiana Airlines plane flying from Istanbul to Seoul was forced to turn around just days ago while flying over Kazakhstan after a passenger dropped a powerbank and it became stuck between two seats and could not be removed, with the subsequent risk of damage to the device and that it could spark a fire. “This incident once again underlines the critical importance of aircraft safety,” Uraloğlu said.
The minister recalled that lithium batteries present in devices such as powerbanks, but also in laptops, mobile phones or electronic cigarettes, can overheat and generate smoke or fire if damaged or simply short-circuited due to manufacturing defects, triggering a fire that is also particularly difficult to extinguish.
“The proper handling of electronic devices on board plane is essential to ensure flight safety,” said Uraloğlu, stressing the importance of such electronic devices meeting safety standards and being used in accordance with aviation safety regulations.
In January, a plane in South Korea burnt down due to a powerbank
The minister also referred to another incident on 28 January at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea, when an Air Busan plane was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out in a powerbank that had suffered a mechanical failure and was stored in a passenger’s luggage in the overhead compartment of the cabin.
The incident occurred while the plane was on the runway and only caused 3 minor injuries although the aircraft was totally destroyed, but if it had broken out in the air, it could have ended in tragedy. South Korea has since banned passengers from using powerbanks and requires passengers to carry them with them and not store them in their luggage. Other airlines and countries are taking similar measures.
To avoid such risks, civil aviation authorities in Turkey are reportedly already planning similar restrictive measures, including “banning the use of portable chargers (external batteries) during flights,” said Uraloğlu. For now, the urkish General Directorate of Civil Aviation has limited itself to issuing a ‘recommendation’ to airlines and not a de facto ban; however, Turkish media reports underline that airlines operating in Turkey will soon adopt these restrictions and ban the use of powerbanks on board aircraft by internal regulation.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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