The European Aviation Safety Agency said the recent ban on electronic devices in airplane cabins might increase danger.
The U.S. and U.K. banned electronic devices larger than cellphones from airplane passenger cabins.
This was based on fears that terrorists might smuggle explosives in laptops or other gadgets.
As it turns out, keeping all those battery-powered devices in the cargo hold might be a greater hazard.
Lithium batteries can generate heat, and if a lot were stored in a small space, it could be a fire hazard.
There might be no way to extinguish a fire in a plane’s cargo hold while the plane was in flight.
A group representing 38,000 pilots raised the same concern last week.
