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Germany’s flag carrier Lufthansa has announced new restrictions on the carriage of power banks and battery packs on board its aircraft, following pressure from airlines to tighten rules after several fires caused by the devices.
Leading the charge in Europe, Lufthansa has amended its policy to restrict the use of these devices during flights. Effective immediately, passengers on board may no longer charge their devices via their infotainment systems or use the batteries to charge their personal devices.
The carrier stressed that they are still permitted in cabin luggage, and rules banning their packing in checked luggage remain unchanged.
Power banks must also be worn on the traveller’s person or stowed in hand luggage under the seat. Stowing them in the overhead luggage compartment is now banned.
The batteries are also now limited to a maximum capacity of 100 watt hours – or 27,000 mAh (milliampere-hours).
Travellers wishing to carry larger battery packs must notify the airline in advance and obtain approval. Failure to do so will result in the confiscation and destruction of the devices.
The number of power banks each passenger is permitted to carry in flight has also been set to two.
A Lufthansa spokesperson cites revised recommendations from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) as the reason driving the airline’s policy change.
The rules apply to all Lufthansa flights, as well as flights operated by Lufthansa-owned or affiliated carriers, including Swiss, Eurowings, Austrian Airlines, Discover, Brussels Airlines, Edelweiss and Air Dolomiti.
Passengers must now charge their mobile phones before the flight or use the plane’s special USB ports.
Airlines are becoming increasingly cautious when handling power banks after a tragic fire was caused by a power bank stowed away in the overhead compartment of an Air Busan aircraft in January last year, injuring 27 people.
The Airbus A321 was still on the ground when the fire broke out. Authorities revealed after extensive investigations that a charred power bank caused the blaze.
The entire aircraft fuselage was engulfed in flames in just a few minutes. Passengers were able to disembark the aircraft via emergency slides.
The incident caused aviation safety agencies worldwide to explore tightening measures to minimise the risk of fires.
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