Soon, you may not be allowed to carry laptops in check-in luggage

Representative Image.

India's aviation regulator is considering the possibility of banning large personal electronic devices (PEDs) including laptops from check-in luggage for safety reasons, reported Times of India.

Several international aviation agencies are mulling over the same issue fearing that battery fires would go undetected and cause a major accident.

India is waiting for a decision in this regard by any of the leading aviation agencies before following suit, a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation official told the paper.

Authorities are alarmed after a series of incidents involving mobile phones catching fire mid-air. Last week, a mobile phone caught fire on a Delhi-Indore flight but the damage was contained as the cabin crew quickly doused the flames.

The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has submitted test results in the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) paper on "PEDs carried by passengers and crew", which concludes that fire in PED kept in the cargo hold "could lead to loss of aircraft".

"FAA fire safety branch conducted 10 tests utilising a fully charged laptop computer inside a suitcase. A heater was placed against a lithium ion cell in the battery of a laptop to force it into thermal runaway.... it was concluded that if a PED is packed in a suitcase with an aerosol can and a thermal runaway event occurs, there is the potential for an aerosol can explosion.... (In some cases) the fire suppression system of the aircraft is then compromised, which could lead to the loss of the aircraft," the ICAO paper said.

The ICAO is currently examining the paper and noting safety concerns regarding PEDs being carried in checked-in baggage.

As of now, PEDs like cell phones, tablets and laptops are allowed in carry-on and checked-in baggage but power banks, portable mobile chargers and e-cigarettes are banned in check-in baggage in India.