Australia Flights Ban In Flight Power Banks December 2025

Published on Nov 26, 2025, 3:26 pm CST

9 min read

Key points

Virgin Australia bans inflight power bank use from December 1 2025 while still allowing limited units in cabin baggage
Qantas QantasLink and Jetstar introduce similar power bank restrictions from December 15 2025 across domestic and international flights
Passengers may usually carry up to two power banks under 160 watt hours each but must keep them accessible in the cabin not in checked bags or overhead lockers
Civil Aviation Safety Authority guidance reinforces that spare lithium batteries including power banks must never go in checked baggage
Travelers on long haul routes such as Perth to London and Sydney to Los Angeles will need new charging strategies that rely on in seat power and fully charged devices
New rules align Australian carriers with international trends as more airlines restrict inflight use of power banks after a series of lithium battery fire incidents

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Expect the tightest enforcement on Qantas QantasLink Jetstar and Virgin Australia routes touching Australian airports especially during the December and January holiday peak
Best Times To Fly: Earlier departures and daytime flights make it easier to begin with fully charged devices and to rely on airport outlets rather than overnight charging on board
Connections And Misconnect Risk: Travelers relying on digital boarding passes or e visas should ensure devices are fully charged or backed up on multiple devices since mid journey top ups from power banks will not be allowed
What Travelers Should Do Now: Check each airline's battery policy before packing limit yourself to one or two compliant power banks keep them in reach in the cabin and plan to use in seat power and airline entertainment where available
Health And Safety Factors: Treat damaged recalled or swollen power banks as unsafe for travel and replace them before flying since airlines and regulators now treat them as a significant fire risk

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Australia flights power bank ban rules from December 2025 will change how devices are powered in the air on routes in and out of the country. Passengers on Qantas, QantasLink, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia, especially those on long haul sectors such as Perth to London and Sydney to Los Angeles, are directly affected. Travelers will need to adjust packing, charging routines, and even seat choices so that phones, tablets, and laptops stay usable without plugging into portable batteries during the flight.

In practice, the Australia flights power bank ban means you can still carry limited power banks in the cabin, but from early December you will no longer be allowed to use them in flight on the major Australian carriers, and crew will expect you to rely on in seat power or preflight charging instead.

Airline By Airline Rules

Virgin Australia moves first. From December 1, 2025, Virgin passengers must keep power banks and spare lithium batteries in carry on baggage, within sight and easy reach, such as in a seat pocket or under seat bag, and are not allowed to store them in overhead lockers or checked luggage. Virgin's updated guidance caps travelers at two spare batteries or power banks up to 160 watt hours each, which must be declared at check in, and it explicitly bans inflight charging from these devices regardless of route or cabin.

The Qantas Group, which covers Qantas, QantasLink, and Jetstar, follows from December 15, 2025, with a common policy. New Qantas Agency Connect notices state that passengers may continue to carry portable power banks in the cabin, subject to capacity limits, but they cannot use them to power or charge devices inflight or to charge the power bank itself from seat USB ports. Power banks remain prohibited in checked bags, and batteries inside smart luggage must be removed and carried as cabin items, stowed in the same way as power banks.

Media summaries of the joint rules indicate that across the Australian majors, passengers are being standardised to a maximum of two power banks in cabin baggage, each typically under 160 watt hours, with crew empowered to question larger units and any device that lacks clear labeling. That ceiling is in line with broader lithium battery guidance, where batteries between 100 and 160 watt hours usually require airline approval, and anything larger is treated as cargo rather than passenger baggage.

What Triggered The New Restrictions

This is not a theoretical tweak. Reports from late November describe a fire that started when a power bank stored in a Virgin Australia overhead locker went into thermal runaway mid flight, and a separate incident where a power bank overheated in a Qantas lounge and set a passenger's clothing alight. Australian coverage also notes that overseas regulators, including the United States Federal Aviation Administration, have logged hundreds of lithium battery incidents in recent years, many tied to spare batteries and portable chargers.

Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority, CASA, has for years told travelers to keep spare lithium batteries, including power banks, out of checked luggage and in the cabin, where crew can quickly respond if something overheats. The new airline policies go a step further by removing inflight use, which reduces the chances of batteries being plugged in, covered by blankets, or wedged among other items in ways that hide early signs of trouble.

At the same time, Qantas and Virgin emphasise that they are not banning power banks entirely. Passengers can still carry compliant units, but they must be packed correctly and treated primarily as emergency reserves rather than as everyday inflight chargers.

How The Rules Affect Long Haul And Transit Trips

For travelers flying ultra long haul sectors such as Perth to London, Sydney to Los Angeles, or Brisbane to San Francisco, losing the ability to draw on a power bank mid flight changes how digital routines work. Phones used as boarding passes, two factor authentication devices, or hotel key apps now need to start each sector fully charged, preferably well above 80 percent, because top ups from a portable battery will not be allowed until the aircraft is back on the ground.

On many newer Qantas and Jetstar aircraft, and on Virgin's long haul fleet, in seat USB ports or AC outlets will carry more of the load. That is workable for most economy and premium economy travelers so long as ports are functional, but it will not help with power banks themselves, because the rules also block charging the battery pack from those same outlets. If a port is broken or shared across seats, passengers who assumed a power bank backup would now have fewer options.

Internationally, Australian carriers are not alone. Airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Scoot, China Airlines, Thai Airways, Korean Air, EVA Air, and Asiana already restrict or ban inflight use of power banks on some routes, and industry commentary suggests that International Civil Aviation Organization recommendations may push more carriers in the same direction over the next year. Travelers connecting from those airlines onto Australian domestic legs will see a relatively consistent message, which should eventually reduce confusion but may cause short term frustration for people used to relying on portable chargers.

What Travelers Can And Cannot Do With Power Banks

Under the new rules on Qantas, QantasLink, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia, travelers can still do several key things. They can carry up to two compliant power banks in cabin baggage, typically with a maximum rating of 100 to 160 watt hours per unit. They can keep power banks in a small bag under the seat in front or in a seat pocket, and they can use their own devices as normal, as long as those devices have their own battery or draw from in seat power.

However, they cannot use power banks to charge phones, tablets, or laptops during the flight, and they cannot plug power banks into aircraft USB or AC outlets to recharge the packs themselves. They also cannot put power banks in checked baggage, and on Virgin flights, they cannot store them in overhead lockers, because that makes it harder for crew to monitor them and to act quickly if smoke or heat appears.

Damaged, swollen, or recalled power banks are simply not allowed. Virgin explicitly bans models listed on Australian Competition and Consumer Commission recall notices, and CASA reminds travelers that any defective lithium battery, regardless of size, poses an elevated fire risk and should not travel in passenger baggage at all.

Packing And Charging Strategies Under The New Rules

The safest approach is to treat power banks as last line backups rather than primary power sources. Before leaving home, travelers should fully charge phones, tablets, laptops, and e readers, and, where possible, carry more than one device capable of storing critical documents such as boarding passes, entry forms, and hotel details. For example, a traveler could keep airline apps on both a phone and a tablet, or screenshot QR codes and save them offline so they remain accessible even if an app signs out.

At the airport, it is worth topping up devices using landside or airside outlets before boarding, especially on long haul or overnight flights where cabin lights will be dim for much of the journey. In lounges, passengers should avoid placing power banks in pockets or under clothing while charging, which was a factor in one of the recent Qantas incidents, and instead keep devices on a hard surface with cable connections visible.

On board, travelers can lean more on airline entertainment systems, which do not draw on personal batteries at all, and may want to download offline shows or playlists not just as a fallback but as a way to reduce screen brightness and battery drain on personal devices. Lowering screen brightness, disabling constant Bluetooth connections, switching to airplane mode when Wi Fi is not in use, and closing background apps all help stretch battery life when power banks are off limits.

For families or groups, it may be more efficient to bring a single moderate capacity power bank that meets airline rules and stays in reserve, rather than several large packs that approach capacity limits and invite extra scrutiny at check in. Medical passengers who rely on battery powered equipment should review airline medical and battery policies in advance, since the ABC notes that the new power bank rules do not create exemptions for those chargers, even though medical devices themselves can still be carried and used.

Background, Lithium Battery Safety Rules

Behind the airline specific policies sits a set of global lithium battery standards. CASA and IATA both treat power banks as spare batteries, which means they must be individually protected from short circuit, usually with covered terminals, and carried in cabin baggage rather than checked bags. Batteries under 100 watt hours are considered standard for most consumer electronics, while units between 100 and 160 watt hours typically require airline approval, and anything larger than that must move as dangerous goods cargo rather than passenger baggage.

The new Australian airline rules do not change those underlying thresholds, but they add an extra operational layer by forbidding inflight use. For travelers, that makes the rules easier to remember, even if they feel stricter. If a device is a spare battery or a power bank, it belongs in the cabin, within reach, switched off and unplugged for the duration of the flight.

Over time, it is likely that more carriers will harmonise around similar language, particularly if ICAO and national regulators treat these Australian moves as a template for holiday peak safety campaigns. For now, anyone flying with Qantas, QantasLink, Jetstar, or Virgin Australia through the summer of 2025 to 2026 should treat the new power bank policies as settled practice and plan device power strategies around them.