Although very rare, incidents of lithium batteries exploding in flight have led airlines to take stricter measures in recent years. Just like the manufacturers of external batteries who have reinforced the solidity and reliability of their products. So, can you still fly with your external battery? We will explain everything to you !
Is it dangerous to travel with your external battery on the plane?
In 2023, an Air France flight made headlines for an incident linked to a passenger’s phone battery. The latter had caught fire and required the rapid intervention of cabin crew. In fact, lithium batteries, found in external batteries, can overheat and catch fire if their manufacturing or use standards have not been respected.
This type of incident often occurs following a short circuit caused by shock or compression on the battery or even product failure due to overloading, for example. In any case, despite their small size, exploding batteries can create chain reactions that lead to larger fires than imagined. Hence the need to choose your external battery wisely.
To minimize risks, it is important to favor the purchase of an external battery that meets certain safety criteria. As with all electrical devices, the first thing to do is to choose an external battery whose quality is certified by a recognized organization (CE, UL, etc.). Avoid products that seem fragile to you with abnormally low prices. Then, when you transport it, make sure to protect your external battery against shock or extreme temperatures. And finally, avoid overloading it.
Once all these precautions have been taken, you can travel by plane with your external battery without problem. However, be careful to respect the safety instructions provided by the competent authorities, but also those, more specific, imposed by the airlines.
Safety measures to follow to avoid external battery incidents on the plane
General measures taken by IATA
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has set strict rules for transporting lithium batteries by plane. These rules notably limit the capacity of batteries authorized in the cabin and impose restrictions on their packaging and transport. So, to keep it simple, here are the main instructions to follow:
You can carry your external batteries on a plane, but only in your hand luggage.
The maximum authorized capacity is 160 Wh.
Batteries must be individually protected to avoid short circuits due to shock in particular.
Measures taken by airlines
On their official sites, companies such as Air France, Lufthansa, Easyjet, Ryanair, etc., include these instructions. Only one clarification concerns the quantity of batteries transportable per person and any authorizations. It all depends on the capacity:
External batteries with a capacity of less than 100 Wh: authorized in the cabin, without prior authorization, up to a limit of 20 per person.
External batteries with a capacity of between 100 Wh: authorized in the cabin, with prior authorization, up to a limit of 2 per person.
Please note: in official instructions, the capacity of external batteries is often noted in Watt-hours while manufacturers display it in Milliampere-hours. Here is the formula to apply to make the conversion:
Capacity in milliamp-hours (mAh) x voltage in volts (V)/1000 = capacity in Watt-hours (Wh).
We therefore advise you to keep the original packaging of your external batteries, as it often contains information relating to their capacity, power, etc. Likewise, if you have the slightest doubt, remember to contact your airline. She will be able to tell you the procedure to follow for transporting your external batteries.
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