DGCA may impose restrictions on power bank use onboard flights

(Representative image)

Aviation regulator DGCA may put in place certain restrictions on the use of power banks onboard flights after studying global practices, according to a senior official.

In the wake of the incident of a passenger's power bank catching fire onboard an IndiGo flight on October 19, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been looking into the use of power banks onboard flights.

The official told PTI that some restrictions might be brought in but there are no plans to ban the use of power banks.

The global practices are being looked and after that, a decision will be taken, the official said.

On October 19, a passenger's power bank caught fire on board a Dimapur-bound IndiGo plane while taxiing at the Delhi airport, and the fire was extinguished by the cabin crew.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, on October 25, said the DGCA will review the incident.

There are strict norms in place for carrying electronic goods, especially those with lithium batteries, onboard an aircraft.

Earlier this month, there was an incident where a lithium battery kept in the overhead compartment of an Air China aircraft caught fire. The aircraft was operating from Hangzhou to Seoul, as per reports.