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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is looking into possibly banning or tightening the rules on power banks on planes after a recent fire on an IndiGo flight in Delhi this week. This decision comes as worries about the safety of lithium battery gadgets are increasing after a power bank apparently ignited while an IndiGo flight to Dimapur was getting ready to take off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the fire was promptly put out by the flight attendants. The DGCA has started a detailed examination of how power banks are treated on airplanes by both travelers and airlines. This examination might result in a ban on using power banks during flights, limits on their power capacity, or even a total ban on bringing them on board if the hazards cannot be properly controlled. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has also been updated, and both agencies are now collaborating to decide on new safety protocols.
IndiGo Airlines confirmed that flight 6E 2107, which was going from Delhi to Dimapur in Nagaland, had to return to the gate shortly after beginning to taxi due to "a small fire caused by a passenger's personal electronic device that was placed in the seat pocket." The airline stated that "the crew reacted quickly by carefully following the standard safety procedures, and the situation was under control in seconds." Everyone on board was unharmed, and the fire did not damage the aircraft, which was later allowed to continue flying after safety checks. Flight tracking information from Flightradar24.com indicated that the Airbus A320neo eventually left Delhi at 14:33 and landed safely in Dimapur at 16:45. Earlier in October, Emirates Airlines banned power banks on all their flights. Passengers can now only carry power banks that are under 100 watt-hours and are strictly not allowed to charge or use them to power mobile devices while on the plane.
Similarly, Singapore Airlines introduced a rule in April that prohibits the use or charging of power banks during flights. Many other airlines, including Cathay Pacific and Qatar Airways, have also limited where passengers can keep their power banks. Power banks have lithium-ion batteries, which are small, high-capacity batteries that can hold a lot of energy. However, less expensive models, typically sold without proper certification or testing, do not include important safety features like short-circuit protection or temperature control.
