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Lufthansa Group and SWISS tighten power‑bank rules after January cabin fire

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Lufthansa Group, joined by SWISS and other carriers, has introduced stricter rules for portable power banks following a January 2025 cabin fire. Use and in‑flight charging of power banks and e‑cigarettes is banned; passengers may carry a maximum of two units in carry‑on only, not in checked baggage.

Discovered 2026-01-18T04:14:57.398059-08:00 | 2026-01-18T04:14:57.398059-08:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • In‑flight lithium battery fires have increased this winter, prompting airlines to act; see the recent string of Asia power‑bank incidents that reignited calls for stricter controls (source:cb05ee76-994f-40ef-aecb-177c6fa6039e) and a separate lithium‑battery ignition that filled an SAS cabin with toxic smoke (source:14adb3f0-8455-4b9b-af09-86d8f5366b9d).

  • New operational rules — bans on use/charging onboard and limits to two power banks in carry‑on only — will affect passenger handling, crew procedures and screening/enforcement at gates; Qantas has already moved to similar restrictions (source:b66a8da9-5184-4475-b9ca-7d51d1c76e14), and airlines are adjusting responses after incidents such as a returned United flight over a suspected laptop battery (source:3319ccf7-9a4c-4efd-a73a-47c75401e80a).

  • These measures could prompt broader industry or regulator-level guidance on portable lithium batteries, shifting the compliance burden onto carriers and airports and raising the prospect of harmonised limits or mandatory labelling/packaging standards.

Reported By

Asian Aviation airlinergs.com Simple Flying airliners.de aerotelegraph.com Aviation A2Z
Sources Tracked
29
First Seen
2026-01-18T04:14:57.398059-08:00
Latest Update
2026-01-24T14:36:47.790647-08:00
Coverage
Aviation

Sources

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