Two Vietnamese airlines ban the use of power banks on planes

On March 21, a Hong Kong Airlines flight from Hangzhou to Hong Kong had to make an emergency landing when a power bank in a passenger's personal bag suddenly exploded and caught fire.

This is not the first time a flight has had to make an emergency landing due to an exploding power bank. On February 19, 2024, a Royal Air Philippines flight also had to make an emergency landing after a power bank exploded, filling the plane with smoke.

Many airlines around the world such as Thai Airways International (Thailand), Air Asia (Malaysia), Air Busan (Korea)... have banned the use of power banks on flights to reduce the risk of fire and explosion.

Illustration photo.

In Vietnam, on March 24, two airlines, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air, both announced that passengers are not allowed to use backup batteries on the plane.

Accordingly, passengers are still allowed to bring spare batteries on board, but must remove them from their carry-on luggage, keep them in an easily visible place, and not use them to charge mobile devices during the flight.

Passengers are also not allowed to charge power banks from USB ports on board the aircraft. Power banks must be secured separately and completely turned off to avoid activation.

Each passenger is allowed to carry 10 batteries with a capacity of no more than 100Wh. For a common backup battery with a voltage of about 5V, the corresponding capacity will be about 20,000 mAh. For backup batteries with a capacity of 100 to 160Wh, passengers are allowed to carry a maximum of 2 devices.

Regarding spare batteries, previously airlines only regulated not to put them in checked baggage due to concerns about factors related to fire and explosion.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hai-hang-hang-khong-viet-nam-cam-su-dung-pin-sac-du-phong-tren-may-bay-2384271.html