Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Ban In-Flight Use of Power Banks

[snoop1130]

File photo for reference only

 

In response to a recent safety incident, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air have officially prohibited the use of lithium-based power banks during flights. On March 21, a Hong Kong Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing due to a power bank explosion. This incident has prompted these Vietnamese carriers to tighten regulations to prevent similar events.

 

Starting this week, passengers on both carriers cannot use power banks in-flight unless they are removed from carry-on luggage, placed visibly, and not utilized for charging devices. Previously, power banks were already banned from checked luggage due to fire risks.

 

 

 

Passengers can carry up to 10 batteries, each with a maximum capacity of 100Wh. For power banks with 100-160Wh capacity, only two devices are allowed per passenger. Airlines now stress the importance of turning off power banks and protecting them separately to prevent accidental activation.

 

This precaution aligns Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet with other global carriers, such as Thai Airways, Air Asia, and Air Busan, who have also restricted in-flight power bank usage to reduce fire hazards. The new guidelines reinforce passenger safety without compromising their ability to travel with necessary electronics, reported Vietnam News.

 

-- 2025-03-25

 

 

[Watawattana]

Seems like a sensible and measured response.

[Yagoda]

2 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

Seems like a sensible and measured response.

Such a pain for photographers with lots of batteries. I wonder what Tele-journalists do?

[Watawattana]

1 minute ago, Yagoda said:

Such a pain for photographers with lots of batteries. I wonder what Tele-journalists do?

Yeah, good point.  IATA has some guidance (https://www.iata.org/contentassets/05e6d8742b0047259bf3a700bc9d42b9/lithium-battery-guidance-document.pdf) and so does UPS for shipping separately.  Basically none as cargo on a passenger plane.  

 

For a previous job I had to install some big battery supported power supplies.  Shipping of the batteries was a pain, but ultimately there's a process, we followed it and the batteries arrived.  They had to come by sea, so a long lead time.

[Yagoda]

6 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

Yeah, good point.  IATA has some guidance (https://www.iata.org/contentassets/05e6d8742b0047259bf3a700bc9d42b9/lithium-battery-guidance-document.pdf) and so does UPS for shipping separately.  Basically none as cargo on a passenger plane.  

 

For a previous job I had to install some big battery supported power supplies.  Shipping of the batteries was a pain, but ultimately there's a process, we followed it and the batteries arrived.  They had to come by sea, so a long lead time.

Drives me crazy because my carry on when I travel with my camera is almost all batteries LOL. And those are just small one.

 

I assume thats why camera rental places are so popular.