Fire safety of aircraft materials proven again
Recent incidents show that fire safe materials in aircraft are protecting lives. According to a UL report, there are around two battery fires in aircraft per week. An increasing number of airlines are banning or limiting power banks on flights, with restrictions varying between different airlines: banning batteries in hold luggage, obliging to keep batteries in the cabin on your person not in the overhead compartment, power limits on power banks, bans on spare batteries not in equipment. In incidents where lithium-ion batteries or power banks have ignited on aircraft:
- An Air China flight was diverted mid-flight and safely landed in Shanghai after a lithium-ion battery apparently ‘spontaneously ignited’ in the overhead luggage compartment on 18th October 2025.
- 8 people were taken to hospital for observation after possibly inhaling toxic fumes after a battery ignited in hand luggage during boarding of an SAS flight in Oslo, 14th October 2025.
- A portable power bank in hand luggage in the overhead luggage compartment is indicated to have caused a fire which occurred shortly before take-off and which severely damaged an Air Busan plane at South Korea’s Gimhae airport on 28th January 2025: nearly 200 passengers were evacuated.
In all cases, despite the high energy released from lithium-ion battery fires, the fire has been contained and no fatal accidents have resulted, showing the effectiveness of aircraft material fire safety standards. In that most of the interior materials in aircrafts (seats, flooring, internal structures are made of polymers and composites (for reasons of weight), this is largely due to use of flame retardants. To achieve smoke toxicity standards only PIN flame retardants are used in aircraft.
“The airlines banning power bank chargers from flights”, Yahoo News 21 January 2026 https://uk.news.yahoo.com/power-bank-charger-flight-airline-rules-ban-limit-132429726.html
“Lithium-Ion Battery Incidents in Aviation: 2024 Data Review”, UL https://ulse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/TRIP-Report-May-2025-Final.pdf
