New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has disallowed the use of powér banks to charge phones or other gadgets during flights. This includes charging through aircraft seat power outlets.
This decision comes after a series of incidents worldwide involving lithium batteries overheating or catching fire.
The DGCA, in a ‘Dangerous Goods Advisory Circular’ issued in November, said that power banks and spare batteries will be allowed only in hand luggage and cannot be stored in overhead compartments, as fires in such locations are harder to detect and control, NDTV has reported.
Lithium battery fires are particularly dangerous because they are highly energetic and can sometimes be self-sustaining, making them difficult to control.
“The widespread usage of lithium batteries in various rechargeable devices has led to an increase in carriage of lithium batteries by air. Power banks, portable chargers, and similar devices containing lithium batteries can act as ignition sources and potentially initiate on-board fires,” the circular said.
“Lithium batteries placed in overhead stowage bins or within carry-on baggage may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crew members. This may result in delayed detection of smoke or fire and response actions, increasing the potential hazard to flight safety,” it added.
Lithium battery fires are extremely intense and can even cause personal electronic devices to explode, the DGCA has said.
“A lithium battery fire can be started by uncontrolled heating, overcharging, crushing or internal short circuit triggered by poor manufacturing quality, aged batteries, or damage due to mishandling. Unlike other fires, lithium battery fires may be self-sustaining and require special methods to handle,” it has been noted in the advisory.
The aviation regulator has directed airlines to review their existing safety risk assessments related to lithium batteries carried by passengers. Airlines have been asked to adopt stronger measures to prevent battery-related fires in aircraft cabins and to ensure early detection and effective firefighting in case of an incident.
It has also stressed the need for better crew training. Cabin crew must be able to recognise early warning signs such as overheating, smoke or flames from electronic devices, use the correct firefighting equipment and understand the risks of smoke inhalation.
Airlines have also been asked to ensure that firefighting equipment and protective gear on board are adequate and readily accessible.
key part of the DGCA’s advisory focuses on passenger awareness. Airlines have been directed to inform passengers about the new safety rules through inflight announcements, with the regulator stressing the need for quick reporting and response.
Passengers must “immediately inform the cabin crew if any device emits heat, smoke or an unusual odour”, the rules state, while airlines have been told to “promptly report all safety issues and occurrences related to lithium battery incidents to DGCA”.
The DGCA has also directed airport operators to play a role in spreading awareness. It has asked airports to display clear safety messages and videos on lithium battery fire risks at terminal entrances, check-in counters, security checkpoints, and boarding gates.
Airports have been advised to work with airlines and other stakeholders to educate passengers on the safe handling of power banks and battery-powered devices, including discouraging the charging of such devices just before boarding.
The DGCA said the advisory was issued after a rise in safety occurrences worldwide where lithium batteries carried onboard aircraft were suspected to be the cause.
Similar curbs have been introduced earlier by several international airlines and countries, including Emirates and Singapore Airlines, following lithium battery-related incidents reported last year.
In October last year, a pasenger’s power Bank reportedly caught fire on board a Dimapur-bound IndiGo flight while taxiing at the Delhi airport. No injuries were reported in the incident.
