Oman Air Tightens Power Bank, Smart Bag, E Cigarette Rules

Published on Nov 17, 2025, 1:58 pm CST

8 min read

Key points

Oman Air has tightened lithium battery rules for power banks, smart bags, and e cigarettes across its network
Power banks, e cigarettes, and vapes are allowed only in carry on baggage and cannot be used or charged in flight
Smart bags with non removable batteries are banned from checked baggage, and lithium powered personal transport devices are not accepted at all
The update mirrors IATA guidance but adds stricter wording on in flight charging and personal transport devices that travelers must follow on Oman Air flights

Impact

Packing Rules: Move all power banks, spare lithium batteries, and vaping devices into your carry on and keep them accessible for inspection
Smart Bags And Scooters: Only use smart bags with removable batteries and leave non essential lithium powered rideables at home or ship them separately
Muscat Connections: Build extra buffer at Muscat International Airport in case gate agents need to inspect or confiscate non compliant devices
Labeling And Condition: Travel only with clearly labeled, undamaged batteries to avoid arguments at boarding when staff apply the stricter rules
Medical And Mobility Devices: Coordinate early with Oman Air for wheelchairs or medical scooters since they are handled under separate dangerous goods procedures

Travelers flying Oman Air now need to rethink what goes in each bag, because the carrier has rolled out stricter lithium battery rules that govern power banks, smart bags, e cigarettes, and other battery powered devices on every flight. New guidelines issued on November 12 and amplified in local coverage on November 16 confirm that power banks must stay in hand luggage, cannot be used or charged in flight, and must be properly labeled and undamaged, while smart bags with non removable batteries are barred from checked baggage and any removable battery has to be taken out and carried into the cabin instead.

Oman Air's New Lithium Battery Rules

Oman based outlets report that Oman Air is now telling passengers to carry power banks only in hand baggage, with an explicit ban on using or charging them during the flight, and a prohibition on damaged or unlabeled units. The same policy line confirms that smart bags with batteries that cannot be removed will not be accepted as checked baggage, and that where the battery is removable, it must be taken out before check in and carried as a spare in the cabin instead.

The airline is also sharpening expectations around vaping devices. E cigarettes and vapes are allowed only in carry on baggage, they cannot be packed in checked luggage, and they must not be used or charged on board. Loose batteries, power banks, and e cigarettes are singled out as items that must not be on charge during the flight, even if in seat power is available for phones or tablets.

Finally, Oman Air is drawing a hard line on lithium powered personal transport devices such as hoverboards, balance wheels, mini scooters, and similar gadgets. These are now banned completely from both cabin and hold on the airline's flights, which removes any ambiguity about whether passengers can gate check them or slip them into checked bags.

For Oman Air customers already coping with schedule reshuffles linked to grounded aircraft and supply chain issues, the new battery rules add a second layer of complexity, because travelers now have to protect their itineraries and also make sure expensive gear is not confiscated at Muscat International Airport (MCT) or at outstations.

How This Fits Global Lithium Battery Rules

At a global level, the International Air Transport Association, IATA, has long recommended that spare lithium batteries, power banks, and e cigarettes be carried in hand luggage, not checked bags, and that they not be recharged in flight because of fire risk. Those rules reflect the reality that thermal runaway is easier to detect and manage in the cabin than in the cargo hold.

Other regulators and airlines are tightening their approach in parallel. The United States Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration both reinforce the carry on only rule for power banks and other loose lithium batteries, with advisory language that explains the fire risk in checked luggage. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Gulf Air all require smart bags to have removable batteries and insist that any removed battery travels in the cabin, while Emirates has separately barred in flight use of power banks even when they are technically allowed in hand baggage. British Airways follows a similar pattern, keeping e cigarettes and spare lithium batteries in carry on only and banning their use on board.

In this context, Oman Air is not inventing a new category of restriction. Instead, it is codifying the stricter end of current industry practice, especially on in flight charging and on personal transport devices that some carriers still handle case by case.

Latest Developments

The Times of Oman notes that the airline's updated guidance reiterates that passengers can charge personal electronic devices such as phones and tablets from aircraft power ports, but that those devices should remain under direct supervision while charging and that loose batteries, power banks, and e cigarettes must not be charging at any point in the flight. That puts clear responsibility on travelers to keep an eye on what is plugged in at their seat and to unplug anything that starts to feel hot, smell odd, or behave unpredictably.

Local coverage and social posts show the policy being promoted across Oman Air's channels in mid November, tied to safety messaging rather than to any specific incident on the airline's own flights. This timing also lines up with a broader wave of communication in the Gulf region about lithium battery risks, including campaigns by regulators and airports that urge travelers to keep batteries in hand luggage, protect terminals, and check labels for watt hour ratings.

For now, there is no sign that Oman Air is adding explicit watt hour caps beyond the standard limits in international guidance, which typically allow consumer batteries up to 100 watt hours without special approval and up to 160 watt hours with airline consent, while banning anything larger on passenger flights.

Analysis

For travelers, the biggest practical shift is not where the batteries live, but how strictly Oman Air is likely to enforce the existing norms on labeling, condition, and in flight charging. A high quality power bank with a clear watt hour label that sits unused in your backpack is unlikely to draw much attention. A scuffed brick with no markings that you plug into a phone and then shove into an overhead bin absolutely might.

The smart bag rule will catch people who bought luggage with non removable batteries before airlines started to crack down. If your smart bag's battery cannot be removed, you should treat it as hand baggage only and be ready for Oman Air staff to refuse it as checked luggage. If the battery can be removed, take it out at home, cover the terminals or put it in a case, and pack it in your cabin bag as a spare. Treat drones the same way, since Gulf carriers increasingly apply the same watt hour and removability rules that they use for smart luggage.

Edge cases are where problems usually arise. Travelers with camera gear often carry multiple small lithium ion packs, and Oman Air's stance means all of those must be in hand baggage, individually protected from short circuit, and below the standard 100 to 160 watt hour ceiling per battery. Medical or mobility devices such as powered wheelchairs or medical scooters sit in a different regulatory box from leisure hoverboards, but they still rely on lithium batteries, so passengers should coordinate with the airline's special assistance team well in advance and expect documentation of battery type and watt hours.

On the network side, the new rules land on top of existing schedule churn for Oman Air as it deals with grounded aircraft and supply chain constraints that have already reshaped some routes. That combination of operational stress and tighter safety rules raises the odds that agents at the gate or transfer desks will have very little tolerance for "grey area" gadgets. If in doubt, the safer choice is to leave hobby rideables at home and to travel with a modest number of well labeled, name brand batteries instead of a tangle of anonymous spares.

Background, how lithium battery rules work

Lithium ion and lithium metal batteries can fail in ways that produce intense heat, smoke, and fire, especially when they are damaged or short circuited. Aviation regulators therefore try to keep spare batteries and loose devices in the cabin where crew can see and respond to a problem, and out of the cargo hold where fire detection and suppression are less effective for this kind of event.

The standard pattern is now familiar. Devices with batteries installed may be checked or carried on if they are protected from accidental activation and kept within size limits. Spare or loose batteries, power banks, and e cigarettes must travel in hand luggage only, with terminals protected. Batteries above a certain watt hour rating need airline approval or are banned entirely, and recalled or visibly damaged batteries are forbidden in any baggage.

Final Thoughts

The U S State Department still rates Oman at Level 2, exercise increased caution, mostly because of terrorism risk and a separate do not travel band near the Yemen border, so this policy change should be read as an operational safety update rather than as a new security warning about the country itself. For travelers, the takeaway is simple but strict. Pack every power bank, spare battery, and vaping device in your cabin bag, make sure smart bag batteries can be removed and are carried in the cabin, and leave leisure lithium powered transport devices off your packing list when flying Oman Air. Doing that will reduce the chances of a last minute bag repack at the check in counter and help keep your connection through Muscat running smoothly.