The Civil Aviation Administration of China has issued an emergency notice prohibiting travelers from carrying power banks without a valid 3C certification, those with unclear 3C labels, or those subject to product recalls from being carried on domestic flights, with the ban in effect from June 28.

What are the current requirements for carrying power banks on domestic flights and high-speed trains in China?

Carrying Power Banks on Flights

Power banks may only be stored in carry-on luggage or carried by hand, and are strictly prohibited from being stored in checked luggage. Power banks carried on flights must comply with all of the following regulations:

Marking: Power banks without 3C logos or with unclear 3C logos are prohibited from domestic flights.

3C logo

Models and Batches: Recalled power bank models or banks from recalled batches are prohibited from domestic flights.

Power banks rated 100Wh or less do not require airline approval. Power banks rated between 100Wh and 160Wh may be carried only with airline approval, and each traveler may not carry more than two power banks. Power banks rated over 160Wh and those that are not marked or with energy levels that cannot be verified are strictly prohibited.

Energy rating

Carrying Power Banks on High-speed Rail

Currently, power banks carried aboard high-speed rail trains have no 3C certification or power bank model requirements. However, they must be clearly marked and must not exceed energy rating limits.

According to the regulations of China’s National Railway Administration and Ministry of Public Security, only power banks with clear markings and an energy rating of no more than 100Wh may be carried on board high-speed rail trains.

A power bank with unclear markings

Energy rating

According to a representative of the aviation regulator, the new regulations were issued for several reasons. First, this year has seen several safety incidents caused by passengers carrying power banks on flights around the world. There have been fifteen fires caused by passenger power banks on civil aviation flights within China so far this year, posing a serious threat to aviation safety and the lives and property of passengers.

Second, the lithium batteries contained in power banks can be dangerous. After being exposed to conditions such as high temperatures, excessive pressure, or collisions, the batteries often suffer from internal short circuits, causing them to generate excess heat. When the heat reaches high levels, fires or explosions may occur, and fires caused by malfunctioning lithium batteries tend to ignite rapidly, burn intensely, and be difficult to extinguish.

Third, battery production quality is uneven. According to data provided by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, 43.6% of the 149 batches of mobile power banks tested did not qualify. Some counterfeit, poorly made power banks on the market are prone to leaks, short circuits, and other problems, and lack effective protective measures against problems such as over charging, over discharging, and short circuits, posing severe safety risks. Carrying substandard power banks on board greatly increases air transportation safety risks.

Due to the requirements of the Civil Aviation Administration of China and the International Civil Aviation Organization, the emergency notice makes it clear that lithium batteries with quality defects must not be transported by air, showing the ‘zero tolerance’ attitude of China’s civil aviation industry towards safety hazards.

Airports within China will provide areas for passengers to voluntarily store, dispose of, or have non-compliant power banks delivered to another location. Non-compliant power banks intercepted during security checks will be handled as passengers prefer. Both airports and airlines will provide clear guidance and convenient methods of temporarily storing power banks.

Power banks left past temporary storage time limits or discarded by travelers will be destroyed or recycled, and all power banks put into temporary storage, transported, or recycled will be tracked to prevent them from being returned to the market. Passengers may not claim power banks discarded by others.