Qantas and Virgin Australia to ban use of power banks on flights

Friday, 21 November 2025 05:29

Australia's two biggest airlines will ban the use of power banks on planes following a string of fires believed to have been caused by the devices domestically and overseas.

Qantas and Virgin Australia will both introduce the ban along with several new battery safety measures next month.

Other changes include placing limits on the size of the portable charges, requiring them to be easily accessible to their owners and limiting how many flyers can carry on board.

Smartphone in hand is charging from power bank

Batteries have been banned in checked baggage for some time.

Virgin Australia chief operations officer Chris Snook said the policy change was motivated by safety and compliance with international standards.

"Globally, more lithium battery-powered devices are now being carried by travellers, and while these items are generally safe when packed and handled appropriately, this move will minimise any potential risks associated with these devices," he said, in a statement.

"The changes to the policy will be permanent from 1 December and reflect our safety-first approach."

The Australian airlines aren't going it alone. Several international carriers including Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Vietnam Airlines have banned the use of power banks on board, and the US Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of lithium batteries in September.

A battery pack was found to be the possible cause of a fire that engulfed an Air Busan plane waiting for takeoff in January and a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale in July when smoke and flames started pouring out of a backpack due to the same culprit.

Images broadcast on South Korean television showed flames erupting from the plane.

Other fire incidents reportedly linked to batter packs include a fire on a Virgin Australia flight in July and the evacuation of the Qantas lounge in Melbourne when a man's battery caught alight early this month.

"Hoping the man who caught fire holding it is ok," Australian film producer and Women in Film and Television Australia producer Leanne Tonks posted on Instagram.

"Quick thinking from the man who jumped in to help and the staff who got him in the shower and everyone else out of the lounge."

FAA fire safety branch manager Robert Ochs said lithium batteries could go into something called "thermal runaway".

"All of a sudden, it'll start to short circuit … It will get warmer and warmer and warmer until the structure of the battery itself fails," he said.

"At that point, it can eject molten electrolyte and flames and smoke and toxic gas."

Both Qantas and Virgin Australia will ban power banks larger than 160 watt-hours, which is enough to charge a recent MacBook Air about three times.

Power banks are commonly marketed based on their milliamp hours (mAh), which measures capacity but they should all list their energy in watt-hours too.

A fairly standard 3.7V power with 160 watt-hours should equate to roughly 43,000 milliamp hours, according to popular accessories manufacturer Anker.

Qantas' power bank policy changes starting on December 15 are:

No use of power banks
No charging of power banks
Maximum of two power banks per person
Maximum of 160 watt hours (Wh) in total
Customers may carry up to two power banks (each not exceeding a maximum capacity of 160 watt hours) in their cabin baggage.
Power banks, spare batteries and personal electronic devices should be stored in the seat pocket or under the seat in front, or in a nearby overhead locker.
All power banks must display battery specifications.
"Smart bag" lithium batteries must be removed and treated like power banks.

Virgin's Qantas' power bank policy changes starting on December 1 are:

Guests shouldn't stow not stow power banks, spare batteries and small portable electronic devices in the overhead locker and must store them under the seat in front or on them
Power banks can't be used, limiting charging to the in-seat ports
Each guest may carry a maximum of two power banks.
Devices from 100-160 watt-hours require prior approval and anything larger is banned.

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