ICAO issued new power bank restriction on flight (icao.int)

Interesting... anyone know if they've released the rationale/data behind this? I could see a few reasons why power banks present a larger risk than phones/computers (battery capacity, quality control), but it seems like the 100Wh battery limit already covers one of these.

In a similar vein, China banned non-CCC certified (the equivalent to UL or CE) power banks on flights from 2025, which seems to be targeting the quality control side of the problem. Not just on paper - the security officers inspected every lithium battery I was carrying, even the one in my flashlight.

Was expecting to be annoyed but this seems reasonable. You can have 2 power banks and can't charge them during flight

Limiting the devices to two per person seems nonsensical to me. The devices are either dangerous, or they're not. If they're dangerous, two is too many. And if they're not, then why limit them only to two?

Just give us internet free of extra charge.

Power banks were a mistake. It's akin to carrying fireworks in your bag. Ban them all from air travel.

Every one I have owned has been recalled for being a fire hazard. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I stopped buying them as a result. We're talking name brand devices, not junk off AliExpress.

Many airlines are going much further than this, for instance Virgin Atlantic ban you from either charging or charging from any power bank, and you can't keep them in the overhead locker, you must keep them next to you in case it starts burning spontaneously!

They have a "fire containment bag" they can chuck it in should you notice it getting hot or smoking.

https://www.virginatlantic.com/en-US/help/articles/powerbank...

I couldn't find the actual regulation. What counts as a "power bank"? I travel with a bunch of GoPro batteries, but they are smaller.

Umm, did they mention the Joules (mAh) limit and combustibility?

Seems reasonable enough, though it will require a little extra work if you're the designated battery-carrier when your family flies somewhere.

Fingers crossed the Donut Lab solid state battery ends up being the real deal, lives up to the hype, and this sillyness can finally go away. Recent tests look promising from a (lack of a) thermal runaway standpoint at least.

The only question is if the rules will mind the difference in battery composition and chemistry.

Can a battery be built up the same way as DRAM? Why are we using weird chemicals?

Pilot here.

While I definitely approve this and consider the limit to be one too many, I wish ecigarettes would be rather the target as soon as possible. Those are dangerous, and lately the most potential culprit for lithium related problems aboard.

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I wouldn’t bring a power bank if the usb-a ports on most aircraft could just put out more than a measly 500ma.

I bring a single high-quality large power bank whenever I travel. It's hard to reliably find power for my phone, laptop, e-reader, earbuds, gamma spectrometer, flashlight, etc while in the airport or in flight. Not every plane I end up on has reliable USB chargers. Sometimes it's handy to just plug my devices in while they're in my bag.

That is actually included in the amendment, the should seem to be a softening to allow for airline discretion for medical devices etc.

ICAO Technical Instructions (Part 8, Table 8-1 amendment):

“Spare batteries, including power banks: must not be recharged on board the aircraft; should not be used to charge portable electronic devices on board the aircraft; the number carried is limited to a maximum of two per person.”

Content nonwithstanding, announcing rule changes like this with immediately taking effect is just shoddy practice. At least give travellers a few weeks of heads-up.

I just use my laptop as a powerbank these days. What I typically need to charge is a phone, with way smaller capacity than my macbook. So it works pretty well now that everything has usbc.