Bringing a power bank on flights: What you need to know

We also reached out to AirAsia, but were directed to refer to their support page on Portable Electronic Devices (PED).

The support page, as seen above, simply states that passengers who want to bring a power bank over 100Wh but under 160Wh should approach AirAsia staff at the check-in counter.

This does mean that there’s no way of obtaining prior approval from AirAsia for your large capacity power bank before you head to the airport, so there could be cases of passengers being asked to dispose of their power banks before boarding.

My power bank is in mAh, what’s Wh?

mAh (milliampere-hour) is a measurement of the electric capacity of the battery, while Wh (watt-hour) is a measurement of total energy, taking into account the voltage (V) to show the true power capacity.

Wh is derived by multiplying the mAh of a battery by its voltage, then dividing the result by 1,000. This means that you’ll need both the voltage of the battery as well as the mAh to calculate the exact Wh for your model.

However, if you didn’t do so well in maths, we have you covered with the handy table below for the most popular power bank capacities (assuming a standard 3.7V).

Typically, as long as your power bank is under 27,000mAh, it should come in under the 100Wh limit. We always recommend double-checking this figure however, especially if your power bank is on the higher-end of the scale.

My spare camera and drone batteries how?

You can heave a sigh of relief, photographers and videographers out there. Spare batteries are not subject to these new rules as they are not classified as a “power bank”. According to the official IATA guidelines for passengers travelling with lithium batteries (page 8), passengers are allowed 15 PEDs (portable electronic devices with batteries inside), and 20 spare batteries of any type, as long as the batteries are under 100Wh and contain no more than 2g of lithium.

Camera batteries, drone batteries, batteries in phones, your AirTag battery and more will typically meet this requirement, so as long as you follow the other rules regarding these batteries, you will be allowed to bring them onboard.

What if the info on my power bank is rubbed off or illegible?

Well, we hate to say it, but your power bank might be due for a replacement. Setting aside the risks of using a power bank that has so much wear and tear, you might encounter issues when going through airport security and end up having to throw that power bank away.

If you’re looking for a new power bank, check out these great options from Anker, Xiaomi and Ugreen.

So can I use my power bank on board flights now?

The existing rules still apply, dependent on the airline. So for SIA and Scoot, passengers are still:

• required to carry power banks in cabin baggage
• required to keep the power bank in easily accessible locations such as the seat-back pocket or under the seat in front
• forbidden from charging their power banks using the in-seat power outlets or USB port during flights
• forbidden from charging their personal devices with a power bank during flights

Do check with the airline you’re flying with for their own guidelines on acceptable power bank use during flights.