THE UK’s aviation watchdog has issued a new travel warning as thousands of families will jet off on their summer holidays this week.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has updated its travel warnings about common packing items that could delay your travels – or even see them cancelled.
The CAA has warned that incidents involving lithium batteries are on the rise – so it’s important to pack certain gadgets correctly.
It’s well-known now that items like vapes and power banks have to go in hand luggage, but lots of other ones fall under the same category.
The CAA has named another eight items that you may not have realised are powered by lithium batteries.
These are:
- Bluetooth speakers
- Electric fans
- Fitness and smartwatches
- Digital cameras
- Wireless headphones
- Tablets
- E-readers
- Laptops
All of these items should be taken onboard as hand luggage.
This is so that if an incident occurs – like a power bank overheating – the cabin crew can react quickly.
The CAA said that on average, passengers carry four lithium battery devices each which works out as four million gadgets taking to the skies every day.
If any are packed incorrectly, it increases the likelihood of delays and or cancellations to flights.
For example back in May, an easyJet flight was forced to divert when a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft.
The flight had been heading to London Luton from Hurghada in Egypt but had to land in Rome as a ‘precaution’.
In another case, a Hong Kong Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a fire broke out in one of the overhead bins.
Passengers suspected a power bank was behind the cause of the blaze, according to local media.
Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, had some further advice: “Before you head to the airport, give your devices a quick once-over. If a battery is bulging, swelling, changing shape, overheating or showing any other signs of damage, don’t take the risk.
“Instead, safely dispose of it as soon as possible at a local recycling centre with dedicated facilities for electronics and batteries and never put it in your general waste.
“Battery safety starts before you even step foot on an aircraft, starting with where you shop.
“When shopping for your summer getaway, the best way to protect yourself and those around you is to stick to a reputable high street retailer you know and trust to ensure your power bank or any other lithium-ion battery product you’re taking away with you is safe.”
Airlines have been cracking down on the use of power banks onboard this year, after one caught fire on an Air Busan flight in South Korea.
While passengers managed to evacuate, the plane was decommissioned due to the damage
Check out ALL the new rules you need to know before travelling this summer – including power banks.