The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) of India has officially prohibited the carrying of power banks in hand baggage and/or their use during flights and this is applicable immediately to all domestic and international airlines that provide travel services to Indian airports. The blanket ban, brought about by the recent cases of lithium-ion battery fire accidents, seeks to remove the mid-air hazard but has caused millions of travelers to scramble to find alternatives before the holiday season is in full swing.
Initiating Incidents and Rational of Safety.
This ruling is based on the three high-profile cargo hold fires that happened on IndiGo and Air India planes in December 2025, which were found to be caused by faulty power banks overheating because of manufacturing flaws or deep discharge. Cabin smoke on one of the Vistara Delhi-Mumbai flights caused its emergency landing, when a passenger had a 20,000mAh unit in his cabin that led to emergency landing by the airline.
Lithium batteries have thermal runaway potential- uncontrolled chain reactions and 1000C temperatures and poisonous gasses within small areas. The higher capacity of power banks (10,000-30,000mAh) increases the risks, particularly at the time of destruction or swelling, unlike phones/laptops (under 100Wh allowed). DGCA refers to the cases of FAA/EASA, which requires airlines to enforce through pre-boarding and confiscation of X-ray.
What Vacationers Can or Can Not carry.
| Permitted | Prohibited | Imposed limitations |
| Phones, laptops (less than 100WH) | Power banks (all) | None checked baggage |
| Chargers, cables | Spare batteries | Max 2 per person |
| E-cigarette (carry-on) | Earbuds cases are wireless | Inform crew whether swollen |
Power banks should be handed over at the checkpoints; no compensations. TSA/CAA alignment is more strict to international passengers.
Reactions of the airlines and passengers.
IndiGo declared specific amnesty bins in 120 and more airports whereas Vistara/Air India employed 500 and more additional security personnel. Budget carriers rejoiced on the visibility of the situation, and that there will be 15 percent less gate delay due to a lower number of disputes.
Fliers burst out on the internet with the hash tag, DGCABanFail trending- business travelers are complaining about the drain of laptops on long-hauls, and the hashtag Digital Nomads are panicking that their productivity is going to suffer. “Lost ₹8,000 Belkin in security. No warning!” outraged Mumbai techie Priya Sharma. IATA encouraged risk-favored exemption of airline approved units.
Problems of Implementation in the Future.
DGCA constituted a panel of 90-day review of 7 members with possible approvals to less than 10,000mAh aviation-based banks after BIS certification. Airports such as Delhi (1.2 lakh daily pax) achieve 20 percentage of confiscations that oversee queues. Customs threatens with crackdowns on imports of non-compliant products of Chinese origin to e-commerce.
Opponents refer to it as a case of overkill, since Singapore permits less than 160Wh of pouch cases. DGCA justifies: No accidents at the price of nothing. Airlines market seatback USB-C as an interim.
The prohibition redefines the new trends of air traveling with security being the main priority over convenience in the face of increasing device addiction. Passeengers change habits- bulk USB cables and pre charged devices are necessities.
