Japan to Tighten In-Flight Power Bank Safety Rules from April 24
Passengers will be limited to two carry-on power banks and barred from charging them or other devices in flight under new Japanese rules.
- Starting April 24, Japan will limit each airline passenger to a maximum of two power banks in their carry-on luggage.
- Each power bank must have a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less.
- Using power banks to charge other devices, or charging the power banks themselves, will be prohibited during flights.
- Violations of the new rules can result in penalties including a fine of up to 1 million yen or a prison term of up to two years.
Japan's transport ministry said Tuesday that tighter portable charger restrictions during flights will be introduced on April 24, following a string of incidents involving such devices on aeroplanes.
Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less.
Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights will be prohibited.
Existing rules will remain in force. Portable chargers must be carried on board rather than being placed in checked baggage, and passengers are required to keep them within reach instead of placing them in overhead compartments or at other storage areas.
Those charging portable batteries and bringing more than two chargers on board in violation of the new rules could face a prison term of up to two years or a fine of up to 1 million yen.
There have been a series of incidents involving portable chargers on planes in Japan and overseas, such as catching fire and emitting smoke.
The tighter domestic regulations follow the adoption late last month of new international standards by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a specialised U.N. agency that sets global aviation rules.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
