An object that fits in a jacket pocket forced the emergency diversion of a plane en route from Egypt to England. The cause: a power bank that a passenger left charging in the cargo hold. No one was injured, but the episode was not an isolated case.
In January 2025, a power bank was identified as the probable cause of the fire that destroyed a plane in South Korea. Two months later, Hong Kong Airlines made another emergency landing because of a battery fire. In October of the same year, an Air China flight had to divert to Shanghai when a lithium battery began to burn inside the cabin. The pattern was too consistent to ignore. The technical problem is precise: lithium-ion batteries can overheat in a process called thermal runaway, which produces flames that are difficult to control at altitude, especially if the device is in the cargo hold and the fire starts without anyone seeing it.
Since March 27, 2026, the International Civil Aviation Organization has established global rules that prohibit using or charging power banks during the flight. They may only be brought onto the plane in carry-on baggage, switched off, with a maximum of two per passenger and a capacity of up to 100 Wh without special authorization. Those exceeding 160 Wh are directly prohibited. Lufthansa implemented this from January 15 and Emirates from October 2025. If you have a power bank in your backpack and are going to fly, it is a good idea to check its capacity before arriving at the airport.