Emirates has rolled out a new blanket ban for all flights taking off from today (October 1).
It means you’ll need to think especially carefully about what goes in your carry-on, as all portable power banks are now prohibited from being used on flights.
This rule comes following a story of plane cabin filling with smoke when a power bank ignited onboard a flight to Amsterdam.
Panicked passengers covered their mouths with scarves and blankets as smoke poured into the Boeing 777 cabin from the overhead locker, after the charger combusted.
All Emirates customers may now carry only one power bank onboard, which cannot be used to charge any electronics during the journey, and cannot be charged themselves using the power source from the seat.
The charger must be under 100 watts per hour too, which is the case for most power banks anyway, but it’s still worth checking yours to make sure it complies.
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If you do take one on board, they cannot be placed in the overhead bins either, and must go in the seat pocket in front of you, or in your bag under the seat.
Why are power banks on planes an issue?
The airline is taking action because of the ‘increasing number of lithium battery-related incidents on planes.
When a battery fails, it can undergo thermal runaway — a rapid, violent reaction in which one or more cells rupture. This releases toxic, flammable, and explosive gases, creating an intense, self-sustaining fire that’s extremely difficult to extinguish mid-flight.
Most phones and sophisticated lithium battery-powered devices have an internal trickle system which slowly adds current into the battery to prevent overcharging, but many basic power banks may not have this safeguard, increasing the risk.
On January 28, 176 passengers had to be evacuated off a plane in South Korea, when flames engulfed the entire fuselage before it took off.
Authorities said it was likely caused by a portable power bank in an overhead bin which caught fire after the insulation within it broke down.
If you think you can get around these regulations by popping a power bank or two in your hold luggage, this is already against regulation.
What do other airlines say?
Airlines like Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair all still allow passengers to carry and use portable chargers on their planes.
However, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways, all prohibit the use of these chargers on board, while Emirates is the latest to join them.
Another major carrier, Qantas Airways ‘doesn’t recommend’ using them, although they haven’t issues a specific banned.
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