Power banks must go in your hand luggage, never in checked bags. Up to 100 Wh is allowed everywhere, 100 to 160 Wh needs the airline's approval, and anything larger is banned. Since 2025 many airlines, including Emirates, flydubai, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Southwest, have also banned using or charging them on board, or limited how many you can carry.
Why the rules tightened
Power banks are lithium-ion batteries, and a damaged, cheap or overcharged one can overheat and catch fire, a failure known as thermal runaway. On the ground that is a nuisance; in a cabin at 35,000 feet it is an emergency. After several fires on board, including one that destroyed an Air Busan aircraft on the ground in South Korea in January 2025, airlines across Asia, the Gulf, Australia and the US tightened their rules during 2025 and 2026.
The aim is simple: keep power banks where the crew can see and reach them, and stop them being charged or used, which is when most failures start.
The rules every airline shares
The baseline comes from international dangerous-goods rules and applies on almost every flight:
- Cabin only. Power banks and spare lithium batteries are banned from checked luggage. If your cabin bag is taken at the gate to go in the hold, take the power bank out first.
- Up to 100 Wh is allowed without approval. That covers almost every phone power bank: 20,000 mAh at 3.7 V is 74 Wh.
- 100 to 160 Wh needs the airline's approval in advance, and usually a limit of two.
- Over 160 Wh is not allowed on passenger aircraft.
- Protect the terminals, in the original packaging, a pouch or with tape, so nothing can short-circuit them.
To work out the rating, multiply the capacity in amp-hours by the voltage: 10,000 mAh × 3.7 V ÷ 1,000 = 37 Wh. A power bank with no readable rating label may be refused, and the US FAA's lithium battery guidance sets out the same limits.
The same logic covers other batteries. Phones, laptops and cameras with their batteries installed are fine in the cabin. Spare camera and drone batteries count as spare lithium batteries and follow the power-bank rules. Smart suitcases with a built-in battery must have it removable: the battery travels in the cabin, and a bag whose battery cannot be taken out is refused.
Airline by airline
On top of the shared rules, many airlines now restrict use on board. As of November 2026:
| Airline | Since | On board |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates | 1 October 2025 | One power bank under 100 Wh. No use, no charging it from the seat, rating label visible |
| flydubai | 1 October 2025 | No use or charging; keep it switched off |
| Etihad | 2025 | No use on board; not in the overhead locker |
| Singapore Airlines, Scoot | 1 April 2025 | No use and no charging on board |
| Korean Air, Asiana | 1 March 2025 | No use on board; keep it with you, not in the overhead locker |
| Qantas, Jetstar | 15 December 2025 | Two at most; no use or charging |
| Virgin Australia | 1 December 2025 | No use or charging; keep it in sight |
| Southwest | 20 April 2026 | One per passenger, kept out of the overhead bins |
| China, domestic flights | 28 June 2025 | Banned unless it carries the Chinese 3C certification mark |
Rules change often and differ in detail, for example on whether a power bank may sit in the overhead locker. The Emirates announcement is typical of the wording. Check your airline's dangerous-goods page before you fly.
Flying from Dubai and Abu Dhabi
If you fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, the two big home carriers and flydubai all ban using power banks on board. Charge your phone fully before you board, and use the seat's USB or power socket instead: Emirates and Etihad fit them across most of their long-haul fleets. The same habit pays on a connection through Singapore with Singapore Airlines or Seoul with Korean Air, both of which ban use on board.
Travelling with a power bank, the easy way
- Carry one good power bank under 100 Wh with a clear rating label. It satisfies every airline.
- Keep it in the bag under the seat in front, not in the overhead locker, so you can reach it if it overheats.
- Charge your devices before the flight and use the seat power on board.
- Replace any power bank that is swollen, dented, unusually hot or from an unknown brand.
- Tell the crew at once if a device or battery gets hot, smokes or smells of burning. Do not try to move it or put it out yourself.
If your bag is gate-checked
Full flights often take cabin bags at the gate. Before you hand it over, take out your power bank, spare batteries and any e-cigarettes, which must also stay in the cabin.
The carry-on packing guide covers the rest of the cabin bag, and the liquids guide the other rule that changed.
The short version
- Power banks go in the cabin, never in checked bags.
- Up to 100 Wh is fine; 100 to 160 Wh needs approval; over 160 Wh is banned.
- Emirates, flydubai, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and others ban use on board.
- Charge before you fly, and keep the power bank where you can reach it.