One major airline has banned this popular item from all its flights, effective today, October 1. Emirates, which operates hundreds of flights daily and is the largest non-European carrier flying to the UK, has introduced updated rules governing the use of portable chargers onboard. Power banks have long been a travel essential for many, helping keep mobile phones charged, especially during long journeys or when navigating unfamiliar destinations.
However, due to safety concerns and recent incidents linked to lithium-ion battery incidents on board flights across the aviation industry in recent years, the award-winning airline is now tightening its regulations. Under the new policy, passengers are allowed to bring only one power bank with a capacity of up to 100 Watt-hours.
While carrying a power bank that is under 100 Watt Hours is still permitted, the use of it is not permitted at any point onboard the aircaft and using it to charge devices during the flight is no longer allowed.
Additionally, passengers cannot recharge their power banks using the aircraft’s power outlets. Power banks must be stored either in the seat pocket or in bags placed under the seat in front of you and are no longer allowed to be stored in overhead compartments, the airline specified.
Emirates also reiterated its preexisting rule which prohibits power banks from being packed in checked luggage.
Power banks operate using lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries, which contain highly reactive materials, Emirates explained. If these batteries are overcharged or damaged, they can undergo a process called thermal runaway, which is a dangerous chain reaction causing rapid temperature rise, which may lead to fires, explosions, or even toxic gas releases.
Most phones are equipped with internal systems that regulate battery charging to prevent overcharging but many power banks lack these protective features, which can increase the risk of overheating or failure. As a result, Emirates has applied its new safety rules to all existing power banks.
Emirates wrote in a statement released on Tuesday, September 30: “Using any kind of power bank is prohibited onboard Emirates’ flights, effective from tomorrow, 1 October 2025.
“Emirates provides in-seat charging on all aircraft, however, still recommends that customers fully charge their devices before flying, especially on longer duration flights.
“A ‘power bank’ is a portable, rechargeable device primarily designed to provide power to other electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, laptops and cameras.
“Emirates customers are still permitted to carry one power bank onboard with specific conditions listed below, but the power banks may not be used while in the aircraft cabin – neither to charge devices from the power bank, nor to be charged themselves using the aircrafts’ power source.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
