Emirates expands electronics restrictions with power bank ban
'Emirates is taking a firm and proactive stance to mitigate risk when it comes to power banks onboard,' the Dubai carrier said in a statement on Friday.
The airline said the 'significant growth' in customers using power banks in recent years has led to a rising number of lithium battery-related incidents during flight across the industry.
The risks associated with portable power banks have come into wider focus this year after an Air Busan plane caught fire in January, with a hand-held battery recharger the suspected cause of the blaze. South Korean authorities responded by ordering travellers to seal up ports on chargers or place them in separate plastic bags. Following this incident, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways and AirAsia said they would ban the use of power banks on their flights.
In March, a Batik Air flight filled with smoke from a burning power bank and a Hong Kong Airlines flight had to do an emergency landing in China for the same reason.
As of October, Emirates customers will be permitted to carry only one power bank that falls under specific conditions, though they can't use it on board to charge mobile devices or hook it up to the aircraft's power supply. The gadgets have to also be stored in areas easily accessible to cabin crew so that flight attendants can quickly respond in the event of a fire.
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Emirates expands electronics restrictions with power bank ban
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