Why has India banned use of power banks on flights?

India’s aviation regulator has banned the use of power banks and other lithium battery-powered devices on flights. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has disallowed the charging of power banks in-flight or using them with in-seat power systems.

Now, power banks and batteries can only be carried in hand luggage, but not in overhead bins. This comes after several incidents of overheating and fire due to lithium batteries on board were reported worldwide.

Let’s take a closer look.

DGCA bans use of power banks on flights

DGCA, India’s aviation regulator, issued a 'Dangerous Goods Advisory Circular' in November, prohibiting the use of power banks for charging phones or other gadgets on flights.

Power banks and spare batteries will only be allowed in hand luggage and cannot be kept in overhead compartments.

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Passengers will also not be permitted to charge their power banks by plugging them into in-seat power supply systems, as per a Times of India (TOI) report.

The DGCA has ordered airlines to report all lithium battery-related incidents to the aviation watchdog. In its advisory, it also asked airlines to review their existing safety risk assessments for such batteries.

Passengers usually carry power banks on long-haul flights.

Passengers usually carry power banks on long-haul flights. Representational Image/Reuters

Airlines will have to make in-flight announcements about the new rules regarding power banks and charging portable devices.

As per the DGCA, flyers need to “immediately inform cabin crew if any device emits heat, smoke or an unusual odour". The airlines must “promptly report all safety issues and occurrences related to lithium battery incidents to DGCA”, TOI reported, citing the rules.

The aviation regulator has also tasked airport operators with displaying clear safety instructions and videos on risks linked to fire caused by lithium batteries at terminal entrances, check-in counters, security checkpoints, and boarding gates.

“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," the new DGCA circular read.

"Lithium batteries placed in overhead stowage bins or within carry-on baggage may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crew members. This may result in delayed detection of smoke or fire and response actions, increasing the potential hazard to flight safety," it added.

The regulator also emphasised the need for better crew training to help them recognise early warning signs such as overheating, smoke or flames from electronic devices. They also need to be made aware of the correct firefighting equipment as well as understand the risks of smoke inhalation, reported NDTV. 

The DGCA has directed airlines to ensure adequate firefighting equipment and protective gear, which are readily accessible on board.

Are lithium-ion batteries dangerous?

Power banks use lithium-ion batteries due to their high energy density and relatively low cost, Chrystal Zhang, associate professor, STEM College at RMIT University, told CNN last year.

These batteries can contain a large amount of power without being heavy, which makes them popular for high-capacity power banks.

Besides power banks, mobile phones, laptops, smart wearables, drones, electric bikes and e-scooters and EVs also use lithium-ion batteries.

However, lithium battery-powered devices may cause fire if overcharged. The DGCA warned that lithium battery fires are very “energetic” and can be harder to control.

Applying pressure on a lithium-ion battery can result in “thermal runaway”, an uncontrollable surge in temperature.

These batteries comprise highly reactive and highly flammable materials, Sonya Brown, senior lecturer in aerospace design at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia, said to CNN. 

“Lithium batteries could act as an ignition source themselves, or as a source of fuel for a fire initiated elsewhere. The potential risk as an ignition source is increased when lithium batteries are damaged, swollen, include manufacturing defects, are over-charged or over-heated,” she explained.

Brown added that accidental contact with other battery terminals “can cause unintended discharge”. She recommended taping power banks and spare batteries with a non-conductive material or packing them separately so they do not come in contact with other metals.

Speaking to The Guardian, Professor Amanda Ellis, the head of the University of Melbourne’s School of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, said that lithium battery fires are not more common on planes.

She said that the airline cabin pressure would not impact the batteries as they are covered by“multiple layers of casing”. However, any confined environment makes fires more dangerous, particularly as people on flights cannot be evacuated mid-air.

“They give off a very toxic gas and in a confined space that’s not ideal,” the professor said.

It becomes difficult to extinguish lithium-ion battery fires as the lithium metal often catches fire, along with all the casing and the plastic, which are "high-energy materials that can burn for much longer", Ellis said.

“You wouldn’t want to put water on a lithium fire. And that’s the first thing people [on a plane] might think of doing.”

Other airlines to ban lithium battery

India is not the only country to implement restrictions on devices powered by lithium-ion batteries.

South Korea has banned flyers from storing power banks and e-cigarettes in overhead cabins.

Aircraft carriers such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines and low-cost carrier Air Asia are among those to have restricted or completely banned the use of power banks on flights.

Recent fires caused by lithium batteries

Last October, a power bank of a passenger on an IndiGo flight to Dimapur reportedly caught fire while the plane was taxiing for departure from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. No injuries were reported and the fire was quickly extinguished by the cabin crew.

A portable power bank with a lithium battery was believed to be behind the blaze that engulfed an Air Busan plane in January 2025 while waiting for takeoff.

With inputs from agencies