Korea’s in-flight battery rules set global standard

A notice banning the charging of smartphones with a power bank is displayed at Incheon International Airport, Wednesday. Yonhap

Korea’s new regulations for in-flight smartphone battery chargers have become the international standard, after the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted the Korean government’s latest guidelines.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Wednesday that the new regulation imposes two limits on passengers. First, no one is allowed to carry three or more portable chargers, also known as power banks, in the plane cabin. Second, each charger’s capacity must not exceed 160 watt-hours or 43,000 milliampere-hours.

Previously, there was no limitation by global authorities on the number of power banks an individual passenger could carry on a flight. The Korean government previously introduced a ban limiting the number to five or fewer.

Charging power banks inside while on a flight is also prohibited under the new regulations. Using a power bank to charge smartphones once aboard is also prohibited.

The regulations adopted by the ICAO take effect on April 20.

The ministry proposed the strengthened regulation to ICAO, which approved it as an official guideline for its member states on March 27.

The move comes after the Korean government made repeated proposals to the ICAO’s Dangerous Goods Panel Meeting in April 2025, the ICAO Asia-Pacific Conference of Directors General of Civil Aviation in July 2025 and the ICAO Assembly in September 2025. Last month, the organization added the new power bank restrictions to its Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Doc 9284).

The regulatory update came as the absence of consistent power bank guideline across airlines worldwide has created confusion for travelers. After a fire inside an Air Busan flight in January 2025, Korea began enforcing the regulations in March of the same year.

“Given the growing concern over risks of in‑flight power bank fires, it is highly significant that we can now respond more effectively to safety regulations through international cooperation. I urge all citizens to comply with the revised guidelines on the use of power banks to ensure safe flights," said Yu Kyung‑soo, director-general of the ministry’s aviation safety policy under the Civil Aviation Office.