Taking your power bank on a flight? There are some rules you may not know about

Updated April 14, 2026, 9:48 a.m. | By Danny Guselli

Here’s everything you need to know before packing your power bank for your next domestic flight in South Africa.

If you’re getting ready to board a domestic flight in SA, there are some rules you need to know before you pack your power bank.

The regulations exist because power banks contain lithium-ion batteries, which pose a fire hazard, particularly when stored without supervision in the cargo hold of an aircraft.

Power banks are only permitted in carry-on luggage and are banned entirely from checked baggage on domestic South African flights. Airlines use X-ray devices to scan checked bags for power banks, and any found will be removed before the aircraft departs.

According to MyBroadband, FlySafair, the most popular domestic carrier in South Africa by market share, states that power banks fall under international battery safety rules and must always travel in carry-on baggage. The airline describes this as one of the most common rules passengers are caught out by at check-in.

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How do you know if your power bank is allowed on board?

The watt-hour (Wh) rating of a power bank determines whether it is permitted on a flight. Power banks with a capacity of less than 100Wh are permitted in carry-on luggage without airline approval, covering most standard power banks, phones, laptops, and tablets.

Power banks rated between 100Wh and 160Wh are allowed on board but only with permission from airline staff, and passengers are limited to two spare batteries. Power banks exceeding 160Wh are not permitted on passenger aircraft under any circumstances.

By international law, most power banks will display the watt-hour rating on the device, usually in small text on the bottom or back, marked as something like "74Wh."

What if your power bank only shows milliamp-hours?

Some power banks list only milliamp-hours (mAh) rather than watt-hours. In this case, multiply the mAh rating by the voltage and divide by 1,000. Most power banks operate at an internal voltage of 3.7V. A 20,000mAh powerbank, for example, would have a watt-hour rating of 74Wh, which is within the permitted limit and does not require airline approval.

Why are power banks banned from checked luggage?

If a lithium-ion battery overheats or short-circuits in the cabin, crew members can respond immediately. In the cargo hold, detecting and responding to such an incident is significantly more difficult, which is why airlines enforce the carry-on requirement.

The dangers of an uncontrolled cargo fire are illustrated by the crash of South African Airways Flight 295 in 1987, when a fire in the cargo hold caused the aircraft to break up mid-flight over the Indian Ocean, killing all 159 passengers on board.

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Are power bank rules the same on all airlines?

While South African domestic airlines follow international safety standards, some carriers impose stricter rules. China's aviation regulator introduced a blanket ban on power banks that do not carry a specific "3C" safety certification mark on flights to and from the country.

Passengers are advised to check their power bank's watt-hour rating before travelling to avoid delays at check-in.