Singapore Airlines and Scoot to ban the use of portable power banks from 1 April
The decision follows a spate of incidents involving power banks overheating and catching fire during flights.
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Note: This article was first published on 12 March 2025.
Bringing along a power bank on your next flight? Read this. Image: Singapore Airlines
Packing a portable power bank with you on your next Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight? Well, heads up.
In an advisory seen on the airline's Facebook page, SIA will soon be tightening restrictions on the use of such devices aboard its flights, prohibiting passengers from charging their power banks via onboard USB ports while in the air. Effective from 1 April (pretty sure this is not an April's Fool joke), the new rule also bans the charging of mobile devices using power banks, a move the airline says is driven by safety concerns.
The decision follows a spate of incidents involving power banks overheating and catching fire during flights. Just earlier this year, an Air Busan aircraft at South Korea’s Gimhae International Airport was hit by a fire caused by a power bank while it was still on the tarmac. More recently, footage from a Batik Air flight surfaced online showing smoke filling the cabin, with reports attributing the incident to a power bank in an overhead compartment.
These incidents, along with a rising trend of lithium battery-related fires in aviation, have prompted stricter safety measures across the industry. Other Asia-based airlines, including Thai Airways, AirAsia, Eva Air and several South Korean carriers, have already imposed similar bans on in-flight power bank charging.
According to International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods regulations, power banks are classified as lithium batteries and mandate that they be carried in cabin baggage rather than checked luggage. SIA, in line with IATA, allows passengers to bring power banks with capacities up to 100Wh without prior approval, while those between 100Wh and 160Wh require airline permission. Any power bank exceeding 160Wh remains strictly prohibited.
Scoot, SIA’s budget subsidiary, has also adopted the same policy. Both carriers are emphasising the importance of safety and minimising fire risks in enclosed cabin environments. Given the increasing frequency of battery-related incidents worldwide – where the US Federal Aviation Administration has logged multiple cases of overheating lithium batteries on planes just this year – this policy shift is unlikely to be the last.
If you’re intending to travel with power banks, it’s highly advisable to read SIA’s baggage policies in advance to avoid any inconvenience. In the meantime, it’s also prudent to remember to buy power banks only from reputable brands. I’m not saying they are 100% accident-proof, but I’d place more faith in, say, a power bank from Anker than from an unknown brand.
More details on the latest restrictions can be found on SIA’s official website here.
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