NEW DELHI: India has prohibited passengers from using power banks to charge electronic devices during flights. Airlines also no longer allow power banks to be charged through in-seat power outlets.
Passengers may carry power banks only in hand luggage and must not store them in overhead compartments. The decision follows incidents where lithium batteries ignited while airborne.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a dangerous goods advisory circular to reduce risks associated with lithium battery–operated devices carried by passengers and crew.
Airlines have been instructed to inform travelers about these updated safety regulations through inflight announcements.
Passengers need to “immediately inform cabin crew if any device emits heat, smoke or an unusual odour”, the rules say, adding that airlines must “promptly report all safety issues and occurrences related to lithium battery incidents to DGCA”. Some other countries and airlines, including Emirates and Singapore Airlines, had issued similar restrictions for the same reason last year.
Aviation specialists caution that airlines must strictly enforce the one-hand-bag-per-passenger policy in light of these safety concerns.
They explain that although batteries and power banks are prohibited in checked luggage, airlines frequently collect passengers’ hand bags at boarding gates or aerobridges when overhead compartments are full. These bags—often containing portable electronic devices (PEDs) and power banks—are then placed in the aircraft’s cargo hold, increasing potential risk.
“This defeats the purpose of not allowing batteries in check-in bags. A battery catching fire in baggage hold, remaining undetected and then spreading can have serious consequences. The issue of how much cabin bags flyers carry onboard needs to be tackled either by airlines on their own. And if they can’t do so, rules need to be in place to ensure lithium batteries do not make it to baggage hold,” said a senior pilot.
The new DGCA circular says: “The widespread usage of lithium batteries in various rechargeable devices has led to an increase in carriage of lithium batteries by air. Power banks, portable chargers, and similar devices containing lithium batteries can act as ignition sources and potentially initiate on-board fires. This may result in delayed detection of smoke or fire and response actions, increasing the potential hazard to flight safety.”
Lithium battery fires are very “energetic” and can cause PEDs to explode. “A lithium battery fire can be started by uncontrolled heating, overcharging, crushing or internal short circuit triggered by poor manufacturing quality, aged batteries or damage due to mishandling. Unlike other fires, lithium battery fires may be self-sustaining and require special methods to handle. The general preventive measures to minimise risks of lithium battery fire may include minimising possibilities of heating of devices; early detection in case of fire; and reinforcement of effectiveness of firefighting procedures,” it adds.
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