{"id":297697,"date":"2025-11-20T19:32:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297697\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T19:32:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T19:32:09","slug":"virgin-and-qantas-to-ban-use-of-portable-power-banks-after-string-of-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/297697\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin and Qantas to ban use of portable power banks after string of fires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian airlines will ban the use of portable power banks from next month following a string of international incidents, including a mid-air fire on a Virgin Australia flight in July.<\/p>\n

From December 1, Virgin Australia passengers will be required to keep power banks within sight and easily accessible throughout the flight.<\/p>\n

The devices cannot be used or charged on board, and passengers will be limited to two power banks, with larger units over 100 watt-hours requiring airline approval.<\/p>\n

Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar will introduce similar measures from December 15.<\/p>\n

A Qantas spokeswoman confirmed passengers would also be limited to two power banks, each under 160 watt-hours, in cabin baggage.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Qantas, QantasLink, and Jetstar will all ban use of power banks from December 15. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)<\/p>\n

The moves come amid growing concerns about the safety risks posed by lithium battery-powered devices.<\/p>\n

Virgin Australia’s chief operations officer Chris Snook said the changes aligned with international airline safety standards.<\/p>\n

“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,” Mr Snook said.<\/p>\n

The airlines said passengers would still be permitted to charge their devices on in-seat charging ports.<\/p>\n

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said it would soon release a report into the Virgin flight from Sydney to Hobart, on which a power bank caught fire in an overhead compartment in July.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A power bank caused a fire that destroyed an Air Busan plane this year. (Reuters)<\/p>\n

The incident follows several recent international cases, including an Air China flight that made an emergency landing last month in Shanghai after a lithium battery caught fire.<\/p>\n

An Air Busan plane was also destroyed earlier this year at South Korea’s Gimhae Airport after a similar incident<\/a> involving a power bank.<\/p>\n

Fire onboard as Virgin flight descends into Hobart<\/a><\/p>\n

A passenger has been treated for smoke inhalation after a fire broke out on board a Virgin flight as it descended into Hobart.<\/p>\n

The ATSB said there had been five in-flight fires involving power banks on Australian or Australian-registered aircraft since 2016.<\/p>\n

Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) federal secretary Teri O’Toole had been calling for tougher legislation on the use of the devices onboard.<\/p>\n

“It’s important passengers understand these are very dangerous items in an aircraft and to follow the rules airlines put in place. At the end of the day, it’s flight attendants who have to fight the fire,” Ms O’Toole said.<\/p>\n

“The fact all the airlines are now aligning their policies is really positive. It means passengers get the same message and the same process regardless of who they fly with, and that consistency helps keep everyone safe.”<\/p>\n

Airlines tighten rules overseas<\/p>\n

While international airlines, including Emirates, Cathay Pacific, and Korean Air all banned the use of power banks on flights this year, Australian carriers still allowed them, though rules varied.<\/p>\n

Emirates was the latest airline to ban the use of power banks this month, also due to safety concerns.<\/p>\n

“There has been a significant growth in customers using power banks in recent years, resulting in an increasing number of lithium battery-related incidents onboard flights across the wider aviation industry,” the airline said.<\/p>\n

An International Air Transport Association (IATA) passenger survey found 44 per cent of passengers travelled with a power bank, 84 per cent of travellers carried a phone and 60 per cent carried a laptop.<\/p>\n

Dodgy power banks spark concern<\/p>\n

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said reported incidents involving lithium batteries jumped 92 per cent between 2020 and 2022.<\/p>\n

Travellers were now carrying an average of four devices powered by lithium batteries, the regulator noted.<\/p>\n

\"Line<\/p>\n

Power banks are prohibited in checked-in baggage. (ABC News)<\/p>\n

Since 2020, the ACCC has issued 17 recalls of power banks, and warned that around 34,000 defective chargers may still be in use.<\/p>\n

“Some consumers have suffered serious burn injuries, and some have had their property damaged because of power banks overheating and catching fire,” ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.<\/p>\n

Here is a breakdown of the new rules:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Qantas \/ Jetstar \/ QantasLink\u00a0Virgin Australia\u00a0Effective Date\u00a0December 15, 2025\u00a0December 1, 2025\u00a0On-board Use\u00a0Prohibited\u00a0Prohibited\u00a0Charging on Board\u00a0Prohibited, including in-seat USB\/power ports\u00a0Prohibited; passengers may use in-seat power for other devices\u00a0Maximum Number of Power Banks\u00a0Two per passenger\u00a0Two per passenger\u00a0Maximum Capacity\u00a0160 Wh per power bank\u00a0Up to 100 Wh unrestricted; 100\u2013160 Wh require airline approval; >160 Wh prohibited\u00a0Storage\u00a0Seat pocket, under seat, or nearby overhead locker; smart bag batteries must be removed\u00a0Must be easily accessible (seat pocket, under seat, or on person); not in overhead locker\u00a0Checked Baggage\u00a0Prohibited\u00a0Prohibited\u00a0Loading…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Australian airlines will ban the use of portable power banks from next month following a string of international…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[64,63,17652,99,40968,3861,7033,12807],"class_list":["post-297697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-ban","tag-business","tag-power-banks","tag-qantas","tag-virgin","tag-virgin-australia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}