The Civil Aviation Department on Monday announced that local airlines will no longer let passengers use or recharge their portable chargers during flights, while storing power banks in the overhead compartments is also banned.

The new rules will come into effect on April 7.

In a statement, the department said it is highly concerned about recent safety incidents linked to passengers using lithium battery power banks.

It said the decision was made after meeting representatives from local airlines last Friday.

Last Thursday, a Hong Kong Airlines flight en route to the SAR was forced to make an emergency landing in Fuzhou after a fire, believed to be triggered by a portable charging device, broke out in the cabin. In January, an Air Busan plane that was about to take off for Hong Kong went up in flames at Busan Airport after a charger caught fire.