SINGAPORE: Passengers aboard Singapore Airlines (SIA) or Scoot flights will not be allowed to use power banks to charge their personal devices from April 1.
In a Facebook post on March 12, SIA said that passengers would also not be allowed to charge portable power banks via onboard USB ports throughout the duration of the flight, citing safety reasons for the move.
“The SIA Group complies with the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations regarding the carriage of power banks, which are classified as lithium batteries,” said SIA.
“This means power banks must be carried in cabin baggage on all SIA flights and are not permitted in checked baggage.”
It added that its customers may bring power banks with a capacity of up to 100Wh without special approval, while those between 100Wh and 160Wh require airline approval.
Scoot, the budget arm of SIA, also released a similar statement on its Facebook page.
In 2023, two passengers aboard a Scoot flight set for take-off from Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan for Singapore were injured after a power bank overheated and caught fire.
SIA’s decision comes after several inflight cabin fire incidents across the world, with airlines such as Thai Airways, AirAsia, as well as those in South Korea, imposing bans on charging power banks in-flight and restrictions on overhead storage.
Earlier in March, a video from a passenger aboard a Batik Air flight showed the plane’s cabin filled with smoke – reportedly from a burning power bank – emanating from an overhead luggage compartment.
In January, an Air Busan plane caught fire while while preparing for departure at Gimhae International Airport in South Korea. The incident was also reportedly caused by a power bank.
In 2024, three incidents of overheating lithium batteries on planes a fortnight were recorded globally by the US Federal Aviation Administration, compared with just under one incident a week in 2018.
According to SIA’s website, rechargeable battery packs, also known as power banks, are treated as spare lithium batteries, which are not allowed in checked-in baggage, and must be carried as cabin baggage. - The Straits Times/ANN
