The UK Civil Aviation Authority is urging passengers to follow its new safety checklist, warning that incidents involving lithium battery-powered devices remain highly likely during this busy travel period. The checklist is designed to help passengers recognise warning signs of an incident before it happens.
Lithium battery safety awareness
New research by the Civil Aviation Authority suggests the awareness of lithium battery safety among passengers has improved following a campaign by the regulator, airports and airlines across the UK. This campaign lasted all summer, with a survey identifying that awareness of lithium battery travel rules has increased to 86% among recent flyers. This is up from 81% the previous year.
Almost one in three passengers (31%) still believes that items containing lithium batteries should be packed in checked luggage. The CAA confirmed that awareness of these precautions does not always translate to understanding. They said:
“Awareness of packing requirements is only part of the safety picture. More than half (54%) of air passengers now carry a power bank when they fly, up from 49% last year. As passengers travel with increasing numbers of phones, tablets, laptops and power banks, knowing how to recognise and respond to an overheating device has become just as important.”
Civil Aviation Authority’s checklist before flying
The Civil Aviation Authority’s checklist encourages passengers to take the following steps before and during a flight:
- Always take power banks in the cabin and check with your airline that they meet its size and quality limits.
- Do not charge your power bank on a flight.
- If you want to use a power bank on a flight, check that your airline allows it.
- If a power bank, tablet, or phone starts to get hot, switch it off and stop charging it. You should alert the cabin crew as soon as possible.
- If a power bank starts to smoke, alert the cabin crew immediately.
- Always carry vapes inside the cabin with you, but do not vape onboard an aircraft.
Glenn Bradley, the head of flight operations at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said:
“Firstly, it’s great that more passengers know to take power banks and lithium batteries with them in the aircraft cabin where any issue can be dealt with. But the chance of devices overheating and catching fire still remains. That is why we are now also offering our checklist to people on how to deal with incidents.”
“Pack right for a safe flight. Pilots use checklists every flight to remind themselves of safety procedures. We’re now asking passengers to use their own version so they can play a vital role in safety.”
If passengers follow the safety checklist, they will be able to respond quickly if a lithium battery-powered device overheats or catches fire onboard. Tonia Fielding, security director at Heathrow, said:
“With the increasing popularity of power banks, it’s more important than ever that passengers travel safely by packing these devices in their hand baggage. The Civil Aviation Authority’s new checklist provides clear and practical advice on how to travel safely, and we encourage all passengers to keep it top of mind when preparing for their next journey.”
Did any of the rules surrounding lithium batteries surprise you? Let us know in the comments.
