Two Vietnamese airlines ban power banks over explosion fears

Passengers are also not allowed to charge their power banks from USB ports on the plane. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

UPDATED Mar 26, 2025, 11:15 AM

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HANOI - Two most popular carriers in Vietnam, the national carrier Vietnam Airlines and the budget carrier Vietjet Air, have both officially banned passengers from using lithium-based power banks during flight.

The ban was issued after an incident on March 21, when a Hong Kong Airlines flight from Hangzhou (China) was forced to make an emergency landing when a power bank in a passenger’s personal bag suddenly exploded and caught on fire.

This is not the first time a flight has had to make an emergency landing due to an exploding power bank. On Feb 19, 2024, a Royal Air Philippines flight also had to make an emergency landing after a power bank exploded, filling the plane with smoke.

Many airlines around the world such as Thai Airways International (Thailand), Air Asia (Malaysia) and Air Busan (Korea) have banned the use of power banks on flights to reduce fire and explosion risk.

In Vietnam, on March 24, both Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air announced that passengers are not allowed to use backup power banks on the plane unless they are removed from their carry-on luggage, placed in an easily visible place and not used to charge mobile devices during the flight. Power banks previously are already not allowed to be left in checked baggages.