Journalism of Courage
Dubai-based low-cost airline Flydubai has issued new guidelines for passengers on carrying power banks on flights. According to the airline, the new rules came into effect from October 1.
Flydubai said that while passengers are still allowed to carry one power bank in their hand luggage, they have to adhere to a set of newly introduced rules when doing so.
According to the guidelines, passengers will not be allowed to carry power banks with a watt-hour (Wh) rating above 100 on any flydubai flights.
Power banks with a 100Wh or less are allowed in your hand luggage as long as the capacity rating is clearly labelled on the device.
Though passengers will be allowed to carry power banks with lower capacity on board, they won’t be able to use them during the flight. This includes charging any devices or charging the power bank itself using aircraft power sockets.
According to Flydubai, power banks must also be stored in the hand luggage underneath the seat pocket and not in the overhead lockers.
Power banks must be switched off during the flight, and if possible, should be placed in the original packaging or in a protective pouch or case to avoid short circuits and accidental activation.
The airline also said that similar restrictions apply to laptops, mobile phones, e-cigarettes, rechargeable batteries, digital cameras, and other lithium-powered devices.
Earlier, Dubai-based Emirates, one of the United Arab Emirates’ two flag carrier airlines, had also announced similar restrictions on power banks on its flights. The Emirates power bank ban, which was announced in August, came into effect on October 1.
Emirates’ new regulations:
According to Emirates, the restrictions were imposed keeping in mind the safety of passengers as the growing use of power banks has resulted in an increasing number of lithium battery-related incidents onboard.
