On an Air China plane flying from Hangzhou, China to Seoul, at an altitude of 10 thousand meters caught fire portable external battery. The fire broke out right in the cabin. The plane made an emergency landing in Shanghai, no one was injured, but the panic once again drew attention to the problem of transporting lithium batteries – and not just external batteries. Today, such batteries are found in almost every electronic device, and even small devices can cause large fires in the air.
The most notorious incident of this type in 2025 was an Air Busan flight from Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea to Hong Kong. The plane filled with fuel tanks caught fire while preparing to take off. The fire cannot be extinguished. As a result, 27 people were injured and all 176 passengers on board had to evacuate. The plane, worth more than $100 million, was completely destroyed by fire. The committee studying this incident said the most likely cause of the fire was a lithium backup battery fire (the cost usually does not exceed 30 USD).
According to a report from UL Standards and Engagement (ULSE), an international safety organization that advocates for safety standards in consumer products, the number of incidents involving aircraft batteries has increased 15% over the past five years.
In the US alone, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), at least 46 incidents involving lithium batteries, including smoke and fire, will occur on aircraft by 2025. Last year, the FAA recorded a record 89 incidents involving lithium batteries on commercial and cargo flights. Over the past two decades, the FAA has recorded 644 aircraft incidents, of which nearly 40% of the total incidents were caused by portable chargers.
Lithium battery fires on aircraft are extremely dangerous, since during combustion the temperature of lithium can exceed 1300 °C, while the fuselage of modern aircraft is made of aluminum alloys, which begin to melt at about 600 °C, and carbon composites, which decompose at high temperatures.
There are usually three reasons why rechargeable lithium batteries catch fire:
Mechanical damage to housing; Factory defect; Incorrect operation (liquid ingress, high ambient temperature, inability to cool).
How the rules for transporting lithium batteries and the equipment they carry are changing and what you need to do to transport equipment safely for yourself and other passengers.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has banned passengers from carrying portable batteries on domestic flights that do not have a local CCC management mark. This ban takes effect from June 28, 2025. This decision was made due to the increasing number of fires and smoke incidents in aircraft chargers. This year there have been more notable such incidents. Additionally, several major manufacturers have recalled their batches of portable batteries due to safety issues or failure to pass CCC certification.
The incident on Air China CA 139 occurred just days after the International Air Transport Association (IATA) launched the global “Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries” campaign to promote the safe handling of such devices.
A recent IATA passenger survey found that the vast majority of passengers fly with devices powered by lithium batteries:
83% of travelers carry their phones with them; 60% do not fly without a laptop; 44% carry an external battery.
Although 93% of tourists think they understand the regulations for transporting devices using lithium batteries (of which 57% consider themselves very familiar with these regulations), there are still serious misconceptions:
50% mistakenly believe that packing small devices with lithium batteries in checked baggage is okay; 45% mistakenly believe that packing external batteries in checked luggage is okay; 33% mistakenly believe that portable chargers or power banks have no power limit.
The document “Travel Smart with Lithium Batteries” highlights seven rules that every traveler must follow:
Only carry with you the devices and batteries you really need.
Be alert: if the device heats up, smokes or becomes damaged, notify the flight crew (or airport staff) immediately.
Always carry your devices: Bring phones, laptops, cameras, vapes (if allowed) and other battery-powered devices in carry-on luggage, not in checked luggage.
Protect batteries during shipping by storing them in their original packaging or sealing the ports with electrical tape to prevent short circuits caused by liquid.
Gate reminder: If your carry-on baggage is checked into the aircraft's hold at the gate due to being overweight or too large, please remove all lithium batteries and devices from your baggage first.
Check battery capacity: For batteries over 100 Wh used in large cameras, drones or power tools, check with your airline as additional approval may be required.
Always check your airline's regulations: requirements may vary between airlines depending on local regulations.
The last point is especially important.
All airlines follow IATA's global safety guidelines but are also required to comply with local aviation authorities and national laws. This means the rules can be different for the following reasons:
Local regulations (e.g. ban on vaping or drones); Assess various safety risks; Restrictions on certain routes or destinations.
“IATA requirements have the status of recommendations, but nothing more,” noted aviation expert and editor of the portal CommonFlyers.ru Ilya Shatilin.
Why can't lithium batteries be transported in luggage but only in hand luggage?
If the lithium battery overheats or catches fire in the cargo hold, the crew will not be able to detect and extinguish the fire immediately. Keeping these items in the cabin allows the crew to react immediately if a problem arises.
According to IATA recommendations, as well as the regulations of most airlines, all devices powered by lithium batteries and spare batteries are only allowed in carry-on baggage.
There are also limitations on the capacity of lithium batteries
Up to 100 watt-hours (Wh): Generally allowed in carry-on baggage;
100-160 Wh: may be allowed with airline approval (e.g. for large cameras, quadcopters, etc.);
More than 160 Wh: Usually not allowed on passenger aircraft.
Always check battery capacity (as stated on the device or battery label) and check with your airline for travel regulations.
How to calculate the number of Watt-hours of an aircraft battery
Usually the Wh characteristic is not recorded on the battery. In this case, you need to multiply the voltage (“Volts”) by the current (“Ampere-hours”). These parameters are usually listed on the battery itself, in documentation, or on the device/battery manufacturer's website.
Calculation formula: Wh (Wh) = V (V) × Ah (Ah)
For example, you have an external battery with a capacity of 10,000 mAh and a voltage of 3.87 V. First, divide the nominal value of mAh by 1000 to get the value in Ah: 10,000 mAh = 10 Ah Then multiply 10 Ah by 3.87 V and get 38.7 Wh (Wh).
These batteries can be transported on most (but not all) airlines.
What to do if airport services find batteries or prohibited devices in your luggage or carry-on luggage.
“If found in checked baggage, they will call the passenger at the airport. Then the device becomes the passenger's problem. You can throw it away, you can go and put it in the storage room – with the risk of not arriving on time and being late for boarding. When it comes to “coin” batteries, the easiest way is to throw it away. If the banned battery is in carry-on luggage, the situation is the same: this is “your problem” and the easiest way is to throw it away. go. is to throw away the power bank,” Shatilin told RG. – However, there is a good tip that few people know: many airports have lockers to store confiscated items. There's no need to go there – just ask the aviation security staff to secure the items. An action is drafted, then when you arrive you can pick up the item. At some airports, this service is even free! But in most cases, the cost of a few days of storage will exceed the cost of a power bank. Many airports even offer delivery services for confiscated items (such as abandoned items). Conditions vary. Sometimes this is a free service, but in most cases it will exceed the value of the item. It is important to understand that an item from abroad may not be delivered to Russia due to the fact that foreign delivery services have not been operating here since 2022.”
