Airlines impose tighter portable charger rules after safety incidents

The UK Civil Aviation Authority updated its guidance on 27 March, limiting passengers to two individually protected power banks in carry‑on baggage, prohibiting charging on board and allowing only devices up to 100 Wh without airline approval. The rule follows a 19 May easyJet flight from Hurghada to Luton that was diverted to Rome after a passenger was found with a power bank in checked luggage that was charging a phone. “The captain then took the decision to divert as a precaution in line with safety regulations,” an airline spokesperson said.

Airlines in the United States, China, Australia, Switzerland, Thailand, South Korea and Singapore have introduced similar restrictions on overhead storage and in‑flight use. Japan is considering a blanket ban on power banks on domestic flights from April, limiting passengers to two units not exceeding 160 Wh, while Emirates will ban the use of phone power banks from 1 October. Glenn Bradley, head of flight operations at the CAA, warned that faulty lithium batteries can cause intense fires that are difficult to extinguish in the cabin or hold.