The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has banned the use of power banks to charge phones or other devices during flights, including via in-seat power outlets, following a series of global incidents where lithium batteries overheated or caught fire.
While citing “safety concerns”, Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu told NDTV that once a rule or regulation is decided, it is important to follow it in order to ensure safety, and that is why they are implementing it.
“Whenever the DGCA issues guidelines or rules, it keeps the safety of the people and the aircraft in mind. Whatever it does, it does thorough research and thorough consultation, and most of it comes from the International Civil Aviation Organisation, which is consulting with stakeholders across the world,” Naidu stated.
What do guidelines say?
The guidelines issued in November last year stated that airlines should broadcast cabin announcements instructing passengers to:
- Carry power banks and spare batteries only in hand luggage.
2. Refrain from using or charging power banks during the flight.
3. Immediately notify cabin crew if any device becomes hot, emits smoke, or produces an unusual smell.
4. Ensure power banks and spare batteries are not placed in overhead bins, and follow short-circuit prevention measures such as storing lithium batteries in plastic bags, taping or covering terminals, or using protective cases.
5. Promptly report any safety issues or incidents involving lithium batteries to the DGCA
The DGCA stated that placing lithium batteries in overhead bins or inside carry-on luggage can make them hard to see, access, or monitor by passengers and crew. This could delay the detection of smoke or fire and slow response actions, thereby increasing the risk to flight safety, it added.
Previous incidents
Last October, a power bank reportedly ignited on an IndiGo flight bound for Dimapur while the aircraft was taxiing at Delhi airport. Fortunately, the incident caused no injuries, and all passengers and crew were unharmed.
Local authorities stated that a portable power bank likely sparked a fire that destroyed a passenger plane in South Korea in January. The Air Busan aircraft caught fire at Gimhae International Airport in southern South Korea on January 28, resulting in minor injuries to three people on board.
