A Singapore Airlines plane about to land on Singapore’s Changi Airport, July 2023. Photo by Reuters
Singapore Airlines and its budget subsidiary, Scoot, have announced that passengers will be prohibited from using power banks to charge their devices during flights starting April 1 due to safety concerns.
Passengers will also not be allowed to charge power banks using onboard USB ports, the airlines stated in Facebook posts on Wednesday.
“The SIA Group complies with the International Air Transport Association’s Dangerous Goods Regulations regarding the carriage of power banks, which are classified as lithium batteries,” the statement added.
Passengers might carry power banks with a capacity of up to 100Wh without prior approval, while those between 100Wh and 160Wh require airline approval. Power banks exceeding 160Wh are not permitted on flights.
Scoot also issued a similar announcement on its Facebook page, reiterating that power banks must be carried in cabin baggage on all flights and are not allowed in checked baggage.
In 2023, two passengers on a Scoot flight preparing for takeoff at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airport were injured when a power bank overheated and caught fire, according to Channel News Asia.
Several other airlines across Asia, including Thai Airways and EVA Air, have also implemented bans on using power banks during flights.
