Power bank rules for flights: the UK guide for 2026
Last updated: 29 July 2026
You can still fly with a power bank, but the rules tightened on 27 March 2026. In the UK you may carry a maximum of two, in cabin baggage only, each rated 100Wh or less without airline approval. You must not recharge them on board, and they are banned from checked luggage entirely. A typical 20,000mAh bank is fine.
Key takeaways
- The UK Civil Aviation Authority’s updated rules took effect on 27 March 2026, following an addendum to ICAO’s Technical Instructions (Doc 9284).
- Maximum two power banks per person, carried in the cabin only — never in checked baggage, on any airline.
- Up to 100Wh needs no approval; 100Wh to 160Wh requires the airline’s approval in advance; above 160Wh cannot fly.
- 100Wh is roughly 27,000mAh at 3.7V, so a 10,000mAh (about 37Wh) or 20,000mAh (about 74Wh) power bank is comfortably legal.
- Recharging the power bank itself on board is prohibited; the CAA also advises against using it to charge other devices, and several airlines ban in-flight use outright.
- British Airways, Ryanair, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the Lufthansa Group all bar power banks from the overhead locker — keep yours in the seat pocket or under the seat in front.
What changed on 27 March 2026
The International Civil Aviation Organization published an addendum to its Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, and the UK Civil Aviation Authority adopted the changes from 27 March 2026. The stated aim is to reduce the likelihood and impact of thermal events involving lithium batteries, and to bring national rules into line with each other.
The substantive change is that power banks are now treated separately from ordinary spare batteries, with their own restrictions on charging, use, storage and quantity. Before this, a power bank was largely governed by the same watt-hour thresholds as any spare lithium battery. Now there is an explicit cap on how many you can carry and an explicit ban on recharging them in the air.
Context for why: the CAA has identified lithium battery fires as the single biggest safety risk to aircraft, and estimates that hundreds of batteries are packed incorrectly on a typical flight. Its summer 2026 public campaign runs under the line pack right for a safe flight
, and asks passengers to carry phones, vapes and power banks in the cabin rather than the hold.
The size limits, and what they mean in mAh
Airlines measure power banks in watt-hours (Wh), but most products are marketed in milliamp-hours (mAh). That mismatch is the single most common source of confusion, so here is the conversion. At the standard 3.7V cell voltage: Wh = (mAh × 3.7) ÷ 1000.
| Rating | Roughly, in mAh | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 100Wh | Up to about 27,000mAh | Allowed, no approval needed |
| 100Wh – 160Wh | About 27,000–43,000mAh | Allowed only with the airline’s approval in advance |
| Over 160Wh | Over about 43,000mAh | Not permitted on passenger aircraft |
In practice almost every consumer power bank sits in the first row. A 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh. A 20,000mAh bank is about 74Wh. Even a 26,800mAh model comes in at roughly 99Wh — just under the line, which is precisely why so many “airline-friendly” banks cluster at that capacity.
The ones that catch people out are the 30,000mAh and larger units, which work out at around 111Wh and up. Those sit in the approval band, and some airlines refuse them outright rather than operating an approval process at all. Anything advertised at 50,000mAh is roughly 185Wh and simply cannot fly.
Lithium metal, not lithium-ion? A small number of batteries use lithium metal cells rather than lithium-ion. For those the limit is expressed as lithium content: a maximum of 2 grams. Nearly all consumer power banks are lithium-ion, so the 100Wh figure is the one that will apply to you.
The six rules that apply to every UK flight
These come directly from the CAA’s published guidance for passengers and crew. They are the floor — individual airlines add to them, and none of them may be more lenient.
1. Cabin baggage only
Power banks must travel in the cabin. They are prohibited in checked baggage without exception, on every airline, because a fire in the hold cannot be reached and tackled by the crew.
Rule: never put a power bank in a hold bag — including a cabin bag that gets gate-checked.
2. A maximum of two per person
Two is the CAA baseline. Some carriers allow fewer, and where the airline’s own limit is lower, the airline’s limit is the one enforced at the gate.
Rule: two is the ceiling in the UK, not a guarantee on every carrier.
3. Each one individually protected
Every power bank must be protected against short circuits when it is not in use. The CAA’s suggested methods are keeping it in the original retail packaging, covering the terminals with tape, or putting each unit in its own plastic bag or protective pouch.
Rule: one bank, one pouch — don’t let them rattle around loose against keys and coins.
4. No recharging on board
You may not recharge the power bank itself during the flight, from an in-seat power socket or a USB port. This is a prohibition, not a suggestion.
Rule: the seat USB port is for your phone, not for your battery.
5. Using it to charge devices is discouraged
The CAA’s wording is softer here — power banks should not be used to charge other portable electronic devices on board. That is advisory at the UK level, but several airlines have converted it into an outright ban, so the practical answer depends on who you’re flying with.
Rule: assume you cannot use it in flight, and charge everything before you board.
6. Protected against accidental activation
Devices must be packed so they cannot switch on by accident. This matters most for magnetic wireless power banks, which can begin charging simply by making contact with a phone inside a bag.
Rule: switch it off, and keep magnetic banks away from your phone in transit.
Airline by airline
The CAA rules set the floor. Airlines then publish their own policies on top, and they genuinely differ — particularly on whether you can use a power bank at all in flight, and where it has to be stowed. On a connecting journey, the rule that matters for each leg is the airline actually operating that leg.
| Airline | Where it must be stored | Use in flight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | Seat pocket or bag under the seat — not the overhead locker | Cannot be recharged from seat power | Spare batteries and power packs are not permitted in checked baggage under any circumstances |
| Ryanair | Small cabin bag under the seat in front, or on your person | Cannot be recharged from seat power | 100Wh limit; no overhead locker storage |
| easyJet | Cabin baggage, individually protected against short circuits | Follows the CAA baseline | Warns that a battery subject to a safety recall must not be carried at all — see the note below on easyJet’s capacity figure |
| Jet2 | Cabin baggage | Prohibited for the whole flight | Power banks without a visible watt-hour rating or lithium content are forbidden |
| TUI | Cabin baggage | Follows the CAA baseline | Check TUI directly before flying; its published detail is thinner than the others here |
| Emirates | Seat pocket or under the seat — not the overhead locker | Prohibited | One power bank per passenger, 100Wh or less, capacity clearly marked |
| Lufthansa Group | Seat pocket, on your person, or under the seat | Prohibited | Two per passenger; covers Swiss, Austrian, Brussels, Eurowings and Discover |
| Singapore Airlines | Seat-back pocket or under the seat — not the overhead locker | Prohibited | Two maximum, from 15 April 2026; over 160Wh not allowed on board |
Where the sources disagree — and what we’d do.
Two figures reported for UK carriers don’t match the 100Wh baseline, and we haven’t been able to reconcile them against the airlines’ own live pages:
HuffPost UK reported that British Airways asks passengers to keep power banks under 110Wh in the seat pocket or under the seat — an unusual threshold that sits between the standard 100Wh and 160Wh bands. Separately, easyJet has been reported as automatically permitting power banks up to 160Wh, which would be more generous than the CAA’s approval requirement above 100Wh.
Our advice: pack to 100Wh. Stay under that and you are compliant everywhere, on every carrier, with no approval and no argument at the gate. If you own something larger, contact the airline directly and get the approval in writing before you travel.
What happens at security
Security screening enforces the rule using the number printed on the casing, not the number on the box it came in or the specification on a retailer’s website. If the watt-hour rating is missing, worn off or illegible, staff can refuse the item regardless of its actual capacity — Jet2 states plainly that a power bank whose rating cannot easily be established is forbidden on its flights.
There is no workaround if a power bank is refused. You cannot move it into your hold luggage, because that is exactly where lithium batteries are not allowed, so the only options are surrendering it at the airport or leaving the airport to post it home. Over 160Wh, it cannot travel by passenger aircraft at all.
Two practical habits make this a non-event. Pack the power bank in an outer pocket of your cabin bag so you can produce it quickly, and if the printed label on yours is starting to fade, photograph it now and plan to replace the unit before your next trip.
The mistakes that cause real trouble
The costly error isn’t usually the capacity — it’s the hold bag. In May 2026, an easyJet service from Hurghada to London Luton diverted to Rome after crew learned that a power bank in a passenger’s checked luggage had been left charging a phone. The diversion was precautionary, but crew hour limits meant the aircraft and everyone on it stayed in Italy overnight.
The second trap is the gate-check. If your cabin bag is taken from you at the gate and put in the hold — routine on a busy Ryanair or easyJet departure — any power bank inside it is now in checked baggage, and in breach. Take it out and keep it on you before you hand the bag over.
The third is quieter: the magnetic power bank that switches itself on inside a bag when it touches a phone. That is the accidental-activation scenario the rules specifically address, and it’s why each unit is supposed to travel in its own pouch.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take a power bank on a plane in 2026?
Yes, but only in cabin baggage, and the rules tightened on 27 March 2026. Under the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s updated guidance you may carry a maximum of two power banks per person, each rated 100Wh or less without airline approval. They must be individually protected against short circuits, and must not be recharged on board the aircraft. Power banks are banned from checked luggage entirely.
How many power banks can I take on a flight?
Two per person is the baseline in the UK since 27 March 2026, under the Civil Aviation Authority’s updated rules. Some airlines are stricter: Emirates and flydubai allow only one. The Lufthansa Group also caps it at two. Always check the airline actually operating your flight, because on a connecting trip each leg can be governed by a different carrier’s policy.
What size power bank is allowed on a plane?
Up to 100 watt-hours (Wh) needs no airline approval. Between 100Wh and 160Wh you need approval from the airline in advance. Above 160Wh it cannot fly at all. In milliamp-hours at 3.7V, 100Wh is roughly 27,000mAh, so a typical 10,000mAh or 20,000mAh power bank is comfortably legal.
Is 20000mAh allowed on a plane?
Yes. A 20,000mAh power bank works out at about 74Wh at 3.7V, which is well under the 100Wh threshold, so it needs no airline approval anywhere in the UK or EU. Carry it in your cabin bag, keep it protected against short circuits, and do not recharge it during the flight. Check the Wh figure printed on the casing to be certain.
Can you charge a power bank on a plane?
No. Recharging the power bank itself from an in-seat socket or USB port is prohibited under the rules that took effect on 27 March 2026. The UK Civil Aviation Authority also advises that power banks should not be used to charge other devices on board. Several airlines, including Jet2, Emirates and the Lufthansa Group, ban in-flight use outright.
Can I put a power bank in my checked luggage?
No, never. Power banks and spare lithium batteries are banned from checked baggage on every airline, because a fire in the hold cannot be reached by the crew. In May 2026 an easyJet flight from Hurghada to Luton diverted to Rome after a power bank was found charging a phone in a passenger’s hold luggage, stranding the aircraft overnight.
Where do I have to store a power bank on the plane?
Keep it where you can see and reach it: the seat pocket, on your person, or in the bag under the seat in front of you. British Airways, Ryanair, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the Lufthansa Group all prohibit power banks in the overhead locker, so crew can respond quickly if one overheats. If staff take your cabin bag to the hold at the gate, remove the power bank first.
What happens if my power bank has no watt-hour label?
It can be refused or confiscated at security, whatever its real capacity, because the printed rating is how the rule is enforced. Jet2 states that power banks not showing a watt-hour rating or lithium metal content, and where the rating cannot easily be established, are forbidden on its flights. If your label is wearing off, replace the power bank before you fly.
Sources
All links checked 29 July 2026. This page carries no affiliate links.
- UK Civil Aviation Authority — changes to the rules on carrying lithium cells, batteries and power banks: caa.co.uk (the 27 March 2026 changes, two-bank limit, charging ban, 100Wh and 160Wh thresholds, protection requirements). Primary source for this guide.
- ICAO — Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Doc 9284): icao.int (the addendum the UK rules implement).
- Travel Weekly — CAA “pack right for a safe flight” summer campaign: travelweekly.co.uk (lithium batteries as the top aircraft safety risk; batteries packed incorrectly on a typical flight).
- Skyscanner — UK power bank rules for 2026: skyscanner.net (overhead-locker restrictions at British Airways and Ryanair; Jet2 in-flight prohibition; the Hurghada–Luton diversion).
- HuffPost UK — power bank rules from Jet2, Ryanair, easyJet, TUI and more: huffingtonpost.co.uk (Jet2’s labelling requirement; Ryanair stowage wording; the British Airways and easyJet capacity figures we flag as unreconciled).
- Singapore Airlines — advisory on carrying power banks: singaporeair.com (two-bank limit from 15 April 2026, no in-flight charging or use, no overhead storage).
- Euronews — Lufthansa tightens power bank rules in the cabin: euronews.com (Lufthansa Group in-flight use ban, stowage rules, 100Wh cap).
- Gulf News — UAE carriers tighten power bank rules: gulfnews.com (Emirates and flydubai one-bank limit, seat-pocket storage, in-flight use prohibition).
- Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore — new power bank restrictions: caas.gov.sg (implementation of the ICAO two-bank standard from 15 April 2026).
How we put this together: this guide is built from the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s published rules and airlines’ own stated policies, checked on 29 July 2026. It carries no affiliate links and recommends no products — it exists to get the rules right. Airline policies in this area are changing quickly, and the carrier operating your flight always has the final say, so check with them before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll correct it.
