Representative ImageAirlines are imposing tougher controls on power banks and other lithium battery-powered devices as a rise in onboard fires forces carriers to rethink how passengers store and use everyday electronics. The restrictions are no longer confined to reminders about keeping spare batteries out of checked baggage. Across Asia, Europe and North America, carriers are reviewing where power banks may be stored, whether they can be used during a flight and how quickly cabin crew can reach them if they begin to overheat.
For airlines, this has become an operational safety issue. For tour operators, travel management companies and corporate travel departments, it is creating another layer of pre-departure guidance at a time when travellers are carrying more rechargeable equipment than ever. Phones, laptops, wireless headphones, cameras, Bluetooth speakers, tablets and portable chargers are now standard cabin baggage. Corporate travellers may board with several devices, while leisure passengers increasingly carry drones, gaming equipment and high-capacity battery packs.
Each device brings a small degree of risk. Multiplied across hundreds of passengers, the scale changes considerably.
The risk sitting in passengers’ pockets
Lithium-ion batteries are compact, efficient and capable of storing large amounts of energy. Those same characteristics make them difficult to manage when something goes wrong.A damaged, poorly manufactured or overheated battery can enter thermal runaway, a chain reaction that produces intense heat, smoke and fire. The reaction may spread quickly to surrounding materials and can continue even after visible flames have been suppressed.
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says physical damage, manufacturing defects, water exposure, improper packing and short circuits are among the factors associated with battery incidents on aircraft.
Location does matter! Cabin crews are trained to respond when a device begins smoking or overheating within the passenger cabin. A fire inside checked baggage, where the source may be difficult to locate and reach, presents a far more serious challenge. That is why aviation regulators require spare lithium batteries and power banks to remain in hand luggage. If a cabin bag is taken from a passenger at the gate and placed in the hold, portable chargers and loose batteries must be removed first. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) outlines the global guidance for travellers carrying batteries.
Power banks warrant particular attention because they are batteries rather than devices containing batteries. They are also frequently carried loose in bags, where contact with keys, coins or other metal objects can cause a short circuit. Poor-quality products add another layer of concern. Counterfeit chargers, damaged battery cells and devices without clear capacity markings can make it difficult for airlines and security staff to assess whether an item is safe to carry.
Air Busan fire sharpens industry concern
The debate intensified after an Air Busan Airbus A321 caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea in January 2025.The aircraft was preparing to depart when flames spread through the rear section of the cabin. All passengers and crew escaped, but the aircraft sustained extensive damage.
South Korean investigators later identified a portable power bank stored in an overhead compartment as the probable source of the blaze. The finding prompted a wider review of battery procedures and accelerated policy changes among Asian carriers. The incident was striking, but not isolated.
The FAA has recorded a long-term rise in reports involving lithium batteries that produced smoke, fire or extreme heat aboard aircraft. Lithium batteries have become one of aviation's fastest-growing operational risks as passengers travel with an increasing number of rechargeable devices.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has also stepped up passenger education through its "Pack Right. Safe Flight" campaign, warning that incorrectly packed batteries are becoming a more frequent aviation hazard. The trend reflects a simple change in traveller behaviour. Passengers are carrying far more battery-powered products than they did a decade ago, and airlines are now managing the cumulative risk.
Power banks face tighter onboard controls
Several carriers have moved beyond the established ban on placing spare batteries in checked baggage. Singapore Airlines and Scoot have prohibited passengers from using power banks to charge devices during flights and from charging the power banks themselves through onboard electrical outlets. Cathay Pacific, EVA Air, Thai Airways, China Airlines and Air Busan have also tightened their procedures, while Lufthansa Group airlines have issued more detailed guidance on the transport and storage of portable batteries.
Airlines increasingly want power banks stored where passengers and cabin crew can see and reach them. Some carriers discourage passengers from placing portable chargers in overhead lockers, where an overheating device may go unnoticed until smoke spreads through the compartment.
Others are restricting inflight use altogether. The wider regulatory limits remain largely unchanged. Power banks rated up to 100 watt-hours are generally permitted in cabin baggage. Batteries between 100Wh and 160Wh normally require airline approval, while larger units are usually prohibited on passenger aircraft,
The difficulty for travellers is that carrier rules may be stricter than the international baseline. A battery accepted by one airline may face additional conditions on another, particularly where storage and inflight use are concerned.
Vapes create a separate enforcement problem
E-cigarettes present a different set of risks.Vapes contain rechargeable batteries alongside heating elements. If accidentally activated inside a bag, they can generate enough heat to ignite nearby material. A damaged battery may also enter thermal runaway. Aviation authorities therefore require e-cigarettes to remain in cabin baggage and prohibit their use or charging during flights. Airlines may also ask passengers to keep them on their person rather than in an overhead locker.
Enforcement remains uneven. Vapes are small, easy to overlook and frequently packed without passengers understanding that they are subject to dangerous goods rules. For airlines, the issue is less about the size of the device than the speed with which an incident can escalate.
Travel businesses inherit a bigger advisory role
The commercial implications extend beyond airlines and airport security. Travel management companies, tour operators and corporate travel departments are increasingly expected to explain battery rules before passengers arrive at the airport. The advice now sits alongside baggage limits, visa requirements, passport validity and destination entry rules.
Corporate travel presents a particular challenge. Executives and remote workers may travel with two laptops, a tablet, multiple phones, portable monitors and several charging devices. Production crews, photographers and engineers can carry even larger volumes of battery-powered equipment.
Leisure travel is moving in the same direction. Drones, action cameras, handheld gaming consoles and portable speakers have become common holiday accessories. A passenger who misunderstands the rules may be forced to discard a battery at security, repack a bag at the boarding gate or seek last-minute airline approval. At scale, those incidents create delays for carriers and frustration for travellers.
Pre-departure communication can reduce that disruption. Travellers need to know that power banks belong in cabin baggage, damaged batteries should not be carried and terminals must be protected against short circuits. They should also check the capacity printed on the device and review the operating carrier's policy, especially on itineraries involving codeshares or multiple airlines.
The challenge is consistency. International rules provide the foundation, but individual airlines increasingly apply their own safeguards.
Battery compliance becomes part of the journey
Lithium-ion batteries have made modern travel easier. They support mobile work, inflight entertainment, navigation, communication and payment. They have also created one of aviation's fastest-growing areas of operational concern.
Airlines are unlikely to retreat from stricter controls. As incident data accumulates, more carriers are expected to limit the use of power banks during flights, require them to remain visible and place greater emphasis on passenger declarations and cabin announcements. Battery guidance is moving into the mainstream of traveller preparation — and, increasingly, into the management of aviation risk itself.
