Emirates will ban the use of power banks aboard its flights and only allow passengers to bring one such device onto the plane, further restricting travelers from carrying electronic gadgets on aircraft.
“Emirates is taking a firm and proactive stance to mitigate risk when it comes to power banks onboard,” the Dubai carrier said in a statement on Friday.
The airline said the “significant growth” in customers using power banks in recent years has led to a rising number of lithium battery-related incidents during flight across the industry.
The risks associated with portable power banks have come into wider focus this year after an Air Busan Co. plane caught fire in January, with a hand-held battery recharger the suspected cause of the blaze. South Korean authorities responded by ordering travelers to seal up ports on chargers or place them in separate plastic bags. Following this incident, Singapore Airlines Ltd., Thai Airways and AirAsia said they would ban the use of power banks on their flights.
In March, a Batik Air flight filled with smoke from a burning power bank and a Hong Kong Airlines flight had to do an emergency landing in China for the same reason.
As of October, Emirates customers will be permitted to carry only one power bank that falls under specific conditions, though they can’t use it on board to charge mobile devices or hook it up to the aircraft’s power supply. The gadgets have to also be stored in areas easily accessible to cabin crew so that flight attendants can quickly respond in the event of a fire.
Dubai’s flag carrier already banned pagers and walkie-talkies on its aircraft last year.
Photograph: An Airbus SE A380-800 Emirates plane sits at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, July 22, 2019. Photo credit: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
Related:
- China Bans Uncertified and Recalled Power Banks on Planes
- China to Tighten EV Battery Rules to Reduce Fire and Explosion Risks
- South Korea’s New Lithium Battery Rules on Planes Highlight Growing Risk for Aviation
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