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UK’s aviation regulator advises passengers how to avoid summer flight delays caused by lithium batteries as busiest flying day of the year approaches

At a glance:

  • With schools in England and Wales having broken up for Summer, this Friday will be the busiest flying day of the year as over 550,000 people jet off.
  • Passengers are being told to “pack right for a safe flight” as the number of safety incidents caused by lithium batteries on flights is on the rise.
  • Aviation safety experts have rising concerns due to the increased popularity of rechargeable devices, including many taken on summer holidays.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority has issued a warning about summer flights being delayed by wrongly packed electrical gadgets such as vapes and power banks.

The UK’s aviation regulator predicts that 30 million passengers will leave the UK in July and August. With passengers carrying an average of four lithium-powered devices each, millions of rechargeable gadgets take to the skies every day, including more than four million over the UK on an average day and nearly 30 million each week.

But items such as power banks must not be placed in checked-in luggage stowed in the aircraft hold but be taken into the cabin as hand luggage, to enable swift action to be taken if they start to overheat.

On Friday July 24, with 550,000 people expected to travel by air, as many as five million devices could be in the skies above the UK. Power banks and vapes pose the biggest risk.

Incorrectly packed lithium batteries are increasingly causing delays and cancellations due to bags having to be off-loaded. If a fire breaks out onboard, flights may have to be rerouted or evacuated.

The Civil Aviation Authority is encouraging passengers to help themselves and their fellow travellers by ensuring that they “pack right for a safe flight”.

To make packing easier, it has produced a ‘hot list’ of the top 10 common items that CAA safety experts fear summer holidaymakers may overlook:

☀️ Power banks

☀️ Vapes

☀️ Bluetooth speakers

☀️ Electric fans

☀️ Fitness watches

☀️ Digital cameras

☀️ Tablets and e-readers

☀️ Wireless headphones

☀️ Smartwatches

☀️ Laptops    

Giancarlo Buono, Director of Aviation Safety at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said:

“The only thing that should be running hot on your summer holiday is the weather, not a power bank in your suitcase. As millions of people prepare to travel this summer, packing your devices correctly is an important part of flying safely.

“Power banks, vapes and spare lithium batteries should always be carried in the cabin, not packed in checked baggage. Pack right for a safe flight and help reduce the risk of delays, diversions and safety risks this summer.”

Giuseppe Capanna, product safety engineer at Electrical Safety First, said:

“Lithium-ion batteries power many of the gadgets we can't live without, from mobile phones and laptops to power banks and wireless headphones. But whilst they’re small, they pack a lot of energy, meaning they can pose a serious fire risk on an aircraft if they’re damaged or poorly made.

“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.”

Some items come with specific rules. For example, you cannot fly with more than two power banks per person, and these must never be recharged onboard the aircraft as this would increase the risk of a fire. The regulator recommends checking with your airline before you fly, as some have additional restrictions.

Already this summer we have seen incidents which have caused flight diversions and presented safety risks of smoking checked baggage due to containing incorrectly packed lithium batteries.

Passenger awareness of the danger remains low. Over a third (36%) of travellers are unaware of the dangers of packing lithium batteries in checked baggage, even though 92% fly with a mobile phone, 55% with a laptop and 49% with a power bank - suggesting hundreds of batteries could be incorrectly packed on a typical flight if the passenger is unaware of where they should be packed.

As a result, this summer has seen a cross-industry drive to increase awareness. Many airlines are now adding announcements on board as part of safety briefings, contacting passengers before flights, and new signage is appearing in airports.

Civil Aviation Authority figures show that reports of overheating or malfunctioning passenger devices have nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. Globally, there are now two lithium battery incidents each week, with two that have occurred on UK-bound flights in recent weeks.