Power banks are banned from checked bags on every commercial airline
Portable chargers and spare lithium batteries must travel in the cabin, and aviation authorities are warning that millions are still being packed wrongly.
The rule is not new, it is not airline-specific, and it has no exceptions: power banks may not travel in checked baggage on any commercial airline, anywhere in the world.
Aviation safety authorities have spent 2026 repeating the message, because reports indicate millions of lithium batteries are still being packed incorrectly every year.
The reason behind the rule
A lithium battery that fails can enter thermal runaway — a self-sustaining reaction that generates its own oxygen and cannot be extinguished by conventional means. It burns until the cell is consumed.
In the cabin, that event is survivable. Crew are trained for it, containment equipment is on board, and someone notices within seconds.
In the cargo hold there is no crew, no observation and no intervention. The same failure that is a manageable incident above the floor is an uncontrolled fire below it.
That is the entire logic of the rule, and it explains a restriction that otherwise seems arbitrary. The battery is not more dangerous in the hold. It is simply unattended there.
What counts as a power bank
The category is wider than most travellers assume:
- Portable phone chargers of any capacity.
- Spare camera and drone batteries.
- Laptop power banks and battery packs.
- Battery cases and charging cases.
- Powered luggage with a removable battery — the battery comes out and comes with you.
A battery installed in a device is treated differently from a spare. The restriction is aimed most sharply at loose cells and standalone packs.
What happens if you get it wrong
Screening equipment detects lithium batteries reliably. A power bank found in a checked bag will typically mean the bag is pulled from the loading process, which at best delays your luggage and at worst delays the aircraft. In some jurisdictions it carries a penalty.
Packing it correctly
Keep it reachable
The point of cabin carriage is intervention. A power bank buried in an overhead bin defeats the purpose — which is why several major carriers have gone further and now require these devices to stay within the passenger's reach.
Protect the terminals
Most incidents begin with a short circuit caused by a terminal touching metal — a coin, a key, another battery. Keep each unit in its original packaging, a dedicated case, or with tape over the contacts.
Check the condition
A power bank that is swollen, dented, or has been dropped hard should not be flown at all. Physical damage is the strongest predictor of cell failure.
The simplest version
If it stores power and is not installed inside a device, it goes in your hand luggage, protected, and where you can reach it. There is no situation in which the hold is the right answer.