New Delhi, October 14 (IANS). The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has banned the carrying or transportation of Mobikins MK-PB-04 power banks on all flights to and from India and operating within the country, following a fire incident on an IndiGo aircraft.
The aviation regulator issued this directive after an incident in which an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Chennai on Sunday had to be diverted towards Hyderabad due to a fire related to this power bank.
After this, DGCA chief Veer Vikram Yadav directed the airlines that this particular power bank model should neither be brought in the aircraft by passengers nor should it be transported as cargo.
Under the order, airlines have been directed to identify the affected devices, prevent them from being brought on flights and issue security advisories to passengers through appropriate channels.
This restriction will only apply to the Mobikins MK-PB-04 model and is not a general restriction on all powerbanks. Passengers have been advised to check the model number of their power banks before travelling, and follow the guidelines of the airlines. People who have this particular model have been asked not to take it on any flights within India or to and from India.
This step has been taken after the safety rules related to lithium-ion batteries and power banks were further tightened. As per extant DGCA dangerous goods guidelines, power banks and spare batteries can be carried in hand baggage only and are not allowed in the overhead compartment.
The regulator has also barred passengers from charging mobile phones or other electronic devices with the help of power banks during flights. This will not be allowed even through the power outlets available on the aircraft seats.
Airlines have been directed to sensitize passengers about these rules, train cabin crew to deal with battery-related incidents and report any incident of fire or malfunction of lithium batteries to the regulator.
Passengers have also been asked to immediately inform the cabin crew if any electronic device overheats, starts emitting smoke or starts emitting an unusual smell during the flight.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in portable electronic devices, but can pose a fire hazard if the battery is damaged, defective, overcharged, or misused.
Such incidents within aircraft are considered particularly dangerous, as smoke can spread rapidly and affected equipment may be difficult to access.
–IANS
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