Passengers are no longer permitted to carry more than two power banks, nor to use them, on flights operated by Lufthansa Group airlines.
The new rules comply with recommendations from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
The rules apply to flights operated by Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways and Eurowings, as well as the regional carriers Air Dolomiti and Edelweiss.
As a result, passengers may not charge their power banks on the aircraft nor use them to charge personal electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
The change is to enhance safety as the lithium batteries in power banks pose a potential fire risk in the case of a malfunction.
Each passenger is permitted to bring a maximum of two power banks onto Lufthansa Group aircraft.
They must be kept on the passenger, stowed in the seat pocket or in carry-on baggage under the seat in front of the person who brought them onboard. They may no longer be placed in overhead baggage bins.
The maximum battery power permitted is 100 watt-hours. Power banks with a battery power of between 100 and 160 watt-hours may only be brought onboard with prior airline approval.
An exception applies to power banks used to power essential medical devices. They may continue to be used for that purpose.
