Travelers in China have been caught off guard in recent days when they arrived at airports to be told they could not bring certain portable batteries aboard their flights.
The country’s aviation regulator has implemented an emergency ban on some portable batteries aboard flights. The ban, which went into effect Saturday after just two days’ notice, came as the regulator warned of growing risks to the aviation industry from batteries, millions of which have been recently recalled.
Airlines and governments around the world have tightened regulations on the use of portable batteries on flights this year. But while other airlines have largely issued guidelines on the in-flight use and storage of portable batteries, China’s order prohibits passengers from taking some batteries on board planes altogether.
The change has caused confusion and consternation among travelers, with some complaining that they had been forced to discard their portable batteries, an increasingly common accessory in modern life, while traveling.
The notice of the ban, issued by China’s Civil Aviation Administration on Thursday, stated that portable batteries that were not clearly marked as having a Chinese safety certification would not be allowed on flights. Batteries that had been recalled were also prohibited.
The aviation authority said the batteries posed a safety risk, citing recent recalls of the devices by manufacturers and episodes of portable batteries catching fire on board planes. China’s market regulator has also suspended or revoked the certifications of a number of portable battery and battery cell manufacturers, the aviation authority said.
These factors “demonstrate that portable batteries carried by travelers contain hidden safety and quality dangers, and the risks they pose to the safe operation of civil aviation continues to grow,” the notice said.
In past weeks, two major Chinese battery companies have recalled millions of power banks in China and the United States, citing problems with lithium-ion battery cells made by suppliers.
In June, Anker, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of the batteries, issued a recall for more than one million power banks sold in the United States because it said the lithium-ion battery inside could pose a fire risk.
Later that month, the company recalled seven models in China, totaling about 700,000 batteries, according to local news media.
Anker then issued a global voluntary recall for another five models, saying that it had identified a potential issue with lithium-ion battery cells provided by a vendor, which it did not name.
Romoss, another Chinese battery maker, in June recalled three models of batteries, totaling nearly 500,000 products, because of an issue with their supplier-provided battery cells.
Yan Zhuang is a Times reporter in Seoul who covers breaking news.
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