Why are power banks allowed on airplanes but not allowed to be used? Here's what you need to know

Power Bank Travel Regulations

The Civil Aviation Administration of China issued the "Announcement on Regulations for Civil Aviation Passengers Carrying Power Banks on Board", which has clear requirements on the specifications, transportation methods and usage of power banks.

About Capacity

There are strict restrictions on the capacity of power banks on airplanes. Power banks with a rated energy of no more than 100Wh do not require approval from the airline; power banks with a rated energy of more than 100Wh but no more than 160Wh can be carried on airplanes only after approval from the airline. However, power banks with a rated energy of more than 160Wh are not allowed on airplanes.

About carrying

Power banks must be carried by passengers for their own personal use; they can only be carried in hand luggage or on the person and are strictly prohibited from being carried in checked luggage.

It should also be noted that each passenger may not carry more than two power banks.

About Usage

Power banks should not be used to charge electronic devices during flight. For power banks with an activation switch, they should always be turned off during flight.

Why can't you ship it?

Most power banks are actually lithium batteries. Lithium is a very unstable metal that can easily generate high temperatures or even spontaneously combust when hit or squeezed. If lithium batteries are placed in checked luggage, the luggage will be squeezed and collided in the narrow cargo hold, which can easily cause the lithium batteries to spontaneously combust, posing a serious safety threat to the aircraft. If a carry-on power bank spontaneously combusts in the cabin, the crew can quickly discover and deal with it in a timely manner.

Why can't you use a power bank during a flight?

The cabin of an airplane is a pressurized environment. During takeoff and landing, the cabin pressure changes, from 1 atmosphere before takeoff to about 0.6 atmospheres during cruising, and then slowly increases to 1 atmosphere during landing. As mentioned above, lithium is a very unstable metal. In this environment, the lithium battery in the power bank will change. If you use the power bank at this time, it is easy to heat up and increase the probability of spontaneous combustion. If there are flammable items nearby, the consequences will be disastrous, so it is strictly forbidden to use power banks on airplanes.

How dangerous is a power bank?

Industry experts pointed out that the danger of power banks comes from the internal lithium battery core. Improper use, falling, and being squeezed/punctured by external forces may cause accidents. When a power bank falls into the gap between seats, passengers should seek help from the crew and remove it under safe conditions. Passengers adjust their seats by themselves, squeezing the power bank and causing accidents.

In 2015, the test conducted by the Fifth Institute of Electronics of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that power banks can easily cause safety problems such as fire and explosion during collision and squeezing. The impact and squeezing test basically simulates the situation that power banks may encounter during the bumpy push of an airplane during takeoff. Although the force of squeezing the power bank on the airplane luggage rack will not be as strong as in the test, we should not be careless. In particular, some power banks without any quality certificates or substandard power banks produced through informal channels are more likely to have quality risks, especially during flight, and are more likely to cause safety accidents.

Kind tips

To ensure a safe and comfortable flight, passengers need to pay attention to the following when carrying power banks on board:

1. Do not bring power banks that exceed the rated capacity or have no logo, instructions, or production information, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble;

2. Do not put the power bank in checked luggage. When carrying it with you, be careful not to put it together with metal objects such as bracelets, keys, and sharp objects to avoid accidental short circuits;

3. During the flight, if an unexpected situation occurs, you must ask the crew for help immediately and do not handle it on your own. For example, if you put a power bank or a mobile phone into the gap between the seats, you must not do it on your own to avoid squeezing the power bank when adjusting the seat and causing a fire. You should ask the crew to remove it under safe conditions. If the power bank catches fire, you must report it immediately and the crew will handle it professionally to avoid harming yourself and other passengers or even endangering flight safety.

4. Finally, I would like to emphasize that you should never use a power bank during a flight.

Last words

A good flying environment requires the joint efforts of passengers and crew members. As a passenger, you must comply with relevant regulations when traveling by plane and properly keep personal devices such as power banks. Judging from the many videos of power bank accidents circulated on the Internet, when the crew members are doing their best to deal with smoking or flaming power banks, there are often many passengers watching and taking pictures with their mobile phones. In fact, this behavior is not advisable. On the one hand, it may cause harm to the passengers themselves, and on the other hand, it will interfere with the crew's handling and affect flight safety. The correct approach is to follow the instructions of the crew and fasten your seat belts while sitting in your seat.