Many people are discovering that bringing a power bank on a plane is a far more complicated – and potentially more dangerous – matter than they ever imagined

What happened on the EasyJet flight forced into an emergency landing at Fiumicino has made many people aware of the strict rules governing power banks on airplanes.

After years of low-cost flights and carry-on luggage, most of us consider ourselves experts on the subject. We know what goes in our carry-on and what goes in the hold, the lengths, the quantities, the weights, the permitted liquids and the forbidden ones.

And yet, there is always something new to learn—an overused phrase, perhaps, but still true: how many of us can honestly say we knew that power banks are among the items you need to be most careful with when flying?

Passengers on EasyJet flight EZY2618, travelling from Hurghada to London, discovered this the hard way when the aircraft was forced to make a “precautionary” landing in Fiumicino, Rome, because of a power bank.

The decision was taken by the captain in accordance with “safety regulations,” after a passenger informed the crew—once the aircraft was already airborne—that they had a power bank in a suitcase that had been placed in the cargo hold.

How this conversation came about remains something of a mystery. Did the passenger suddenly remember and volunteer the information? Were they asked directly by crew members? Did it come up in casual conversation with a seat neighbour? Did staff circulate written questionnaires with a question about power banks in checked luggage? For now, we simply do not know.

What we do know is that, while the aircraft was flying over the Adriatic Sea, the captain made a sharp turn west. Twenty minutes later, the plane landed at Fiumicino.

Passengers were assisted on arrival: some were offered hotel accommodation for the night, while those who preferred to stay at the airport were given a packed meal. The flight resumed the following day.

What is also clear is that several airlines have tightened their rules on power banks. EasyJet states in its guidelines that these devices may only be carried in hand luggage, and that they cannot be used during the flight to charge other devices.

Ryanair is even stricter: power banks are not permitted in checked baggage, they must not be placed in overhead lockers even when carried on board, and they cannot be used not only during the flight but also in the hours immediately before take-off or during landing.

On ITA Airways’ website, it is stated that “spare batteries for electronic devices or medical equipment may only be carried in the cabin. Each loose battery, including power banks, must be transported in its original packaging or in a plastic bag, with contact points covered in insulating tape. The limit is 20 items per passenger, and they must not exceed: 2g for spare lithium metal batteries and 100Wh for lithium-ion spare batteries.”

Even the International Civil Aviation Organization, a UN agency, tightened its rules on power banks in March 2026.

But why all this attention on power banks? Simply because they are dangerous. Lithium-ion batteries—the component found in most power banks—can overheat and catch fire. An unwelcome risk at any time, but especially in flight, where it is far more manageable in the cabin than in the cargo hold.

All of this is intended to prevent a series of troubling incidents in recent years: in November last year, for instance, a man at Melbourne Airport caught fire when a power bank in his pocket ignited, leaving him with minor burns to his legs and fingers. And in January 2025, South Korean authorities reported that the fire which destroyed a plane at Gimhae International Airport was likely caused by an exploding power bank.