When they catch fire, they really go. Big, big issues.
Each week, on average, two flights somewhere in the world experience a lithium-ion battery catching fire mid-air — a quiet but accelerating crisis born from the same portable chargers that keep our modern lives running. The UK's Civil Aviation Authority is raising its voice not out of bureaucratic habit, but because the gap between knowing a rule exists and understanding why it matters can land 180 strangers in the wrong city overnight. As portable chargers grow cheaper and more abundant, the question of how we carry our small conveniences has become, quite literally, a matter of airborne safety.
- A thermal runaway event — battery overheating into open fire — now strikes a commercial flight somewhere in the world roughly twice every week, with incidents rising 15% between 2019 and 2024.
- An EasyJet flight from Egypt to London was diverted to Rome after a passenger's power bank was found in the hold, stranding everyone on board overnight in an unplanned city.
- More than one in three UK passengers surveyed had no clear idea of the specific rules, even as regulators grow visibly frustrated that basic compliance remains elusive.
- Power banks in checked luggage, charging mid-flight, and cheap unregulated devices are the three fault lines the CAA is most urgently trying to close before summer travel peaks.
- A coordinated awareness campaign with UK airlines is now launching, framing the rules not as red tape but as the difference between a safe landing and a serious airborne fire.
An EasyJet flight from Hurghada to London Luton was forced to divert to Rome last week after a passenger alerted crew that a portable charger had been left in the aircraft's hold. Every person on board spent the night in an unintended city before catching a rescheduled flight the following morning — a cascade of disruption traced back to a single, common mistake.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority says such mistakes are no longer rare. Data from UL Standards & Engagement, compiled across 37 airlines, recorded an average of two thermal runaway incidents per week in 2024 — moments when a lithium-ion battery overheats and catches fire. Incidents of this kind rose 15% between 2019 and 2024, tracking the spread of cheaper, more powerful portable chargers into everyday travel bags.
The rules are clear, if not widely understood. Power banks must travel in carry-on luggage only, never checked baggage. Passengers are limited to two devices each. And critically, they must not be used or charged during flight — charging is precisely when these batteries run hottest. CAA spokesperson Jonathan Nicholson was direct about the physics: power banks carry larger, more powerful cells than phones or cameras, and when they fail, they fail dramatically.
A CAA survey of 1,000 UK passengers found that more than a third were unaware of the specific regulations, despite broadly knowing that lithium batteries carry some risk. Nicholson pushed back against the idea that the restrictions are bureaucratic excess, noting that he would not want to be the passenger whose carelessness rerouted an entire flight. He also urged travelers to treat their chargers with the same care as their phones — avoiding cheap knockoffs, protecting devices from physical damage, and storing them properly.
With summer travel approaching, the CAA is launching an awareness campaign alongside UK airlines, hoping that understanding the reason behind the rules will prove more persuasive than the rules alone.
A portable charger left in an aircraft's hold forced an EasyJet flight to divert to Rome last week. The plane, traveling from Hurghada in Egypt to London Luton, had to land as a precaution after a passenger alerted crew to the device's location. Everyone on board spent the night in the wrong city before catching a rescheduled flight the next morning. It was a disruption born from a simple mistake—but one that the UK's Civil Aviation Authority says is becoming far too common.
The CAA has begun sounding an alarm about power banks on aircraft. These portable chargers, ubiquitous in modern travel, are causing a rising tide of serious incidents worldwide. The regulator is pushing for what it calls "more awareness" among passengers, though the tone from officials suggests frustration that basic rules are still being broken. Jonathan Nicholson, speaking for the CAA, rejected the notion that restrictions on power banks are bureaucratic nitpicking. "It is absolutely a rule that can make a difference," he said, adding that he wouldn't want to be the passenger whose misplaced charger landed everyone in the wrong city.
The numbers tell a stark story. Data released last June by UL Standards & Engagement, a US-based safety organization, found that on average two flights per week in 2024 experienced what's called a thermal runaway incident—essentially, a lithium-ion battery overheating and catching fire. The organization compiled this through voluntary reporting from 37 passenger and cargo airlines tracking all rechargeable devices with lithium-ion batteries: power banks, phones, tablets, laptops. Between 2019, when the tracking began, and 2024, incidents rose 15 percent. The trend is climbing as portable chargers grow cheaper and more popular.
The rules themselves are straightforward, though a CAA survey of 1,000 UK passengers in November 2025 found that more than a third don't actually know them. Power banks must travel in carry-on luggage, never checked baggage. Each passenger is limited to two. And once aboard, they must not be used or charged—that last point is critical, because charging is when these devices get dangerously hot. Nicholson explained the physics plainly: compared to digital cameras or laptops, power banks have larger, more powerful batteries that generate far more heat. "When they catch fire, they really go," he said. "They are big, big issues and big fires."
The CAA is launching a summer campaign with UK airlines to educate travelers before the holiday season. The regulator is also pushing passengers to think about power bank safety in everyday life, not just on flights. Nicholson noted that people tend to treat portable chargers carelessly—tossing them into bags, letting them get battered—when they should be protecting them as carefully as their phones. He advised buying quality chargers rather than cheap knockoffs, since poorly made devices and replacement batteries carry higher fire risks. Airline rules vary slightly in their specifics, but most ask that power banks be kept in a bag under the seat rather than in overhead bins.
The incident in Rome is a window into what happens when the rules fail. A single passenger's error forced 180 people to spend an unplanned night away from home, rerouted their journey, and tied up aircraft and crew. It's the kind of disruption that Nicholson seems determined to prevent—not through punishment, but through the simple message that passengers need to understand why these rules exist and follow them.
Notable Quotes
It is absolutely a rule that can make a difference. I wouldn't want to be the passenger who packed it in the wrong place and ended up with all the other passengers in the wrong city because the flight was diverted.— Jonathan Nicholson, Civil Aviation Authority
When they catch fire, they really go—they are big, big issues and big fires.— Jonathan Nicholson, Civil Aviation Authority
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why are power banks treated so differently from other electronics we carry on planes?
It's about the battery chemistry and what happens when it fails. A power bank has a much larger lithium-ion battery than a phone, and it's designed to discharge energy quickly. When one of those batteries overheats—which can happen from physical damage, manufacturing defects, or even just being charged in the wrong conditions—it doesn't smolder. It ignites. Cabin crew are trained to handle it, but in a pressurized aircraft, a real fire is catastrophic.
The survey showed a third of passengers don't know the rules. Why do you think that is?
People don't think about it until they're packing. A power bank is just another thing in your bag. It's not like a knife or a lighter—there's no obvious reason it would be dangerous. And the rules seem arbitrary if you don't understand the science. Why can't I check it? Why can't I charge it on the plane? It feels like bureaucracy until you realize what thermal runaway actually means.
That EasyJet flight to Rome—was that an overreaction?
No. Once a power bank is in the hold, you can't access it. If it catches fire down there, the crew has almost no way to fight it. The diversion was the safe choice. But it's also exactly the kind of disruption that could have been prevented if one passenger had known the rules.
What's the role of cheap power banks in all this?
Cheaper devices often have weaker battery management systems and lower-quality cells. They're more prone to defects and less likely to have the safety features that prevent overheating. When you're buying a $5 power bank versus a $30 one, you're not just paying for brand reputation—you're paying for engineering that keeps the battery from becoming a fire hazard.
Is this problem getting worse because power banks are more popular, or because the ones being made are worse?
Both. Demand is exploding, so more devices are being manufactured, including by companies cutting corners. And as they become cheaper and more disposable, people treat them carelessly—dropping them, leaving them in hot cars, charging them with damaged cables. The CAA's point about everyday safety is important. The rules on planes exist because these devices are genuinely risky if you don't respect them.