Power banks and vapes now biggest fire risk on planes

Power banks and e-cigarettes have overtaken all other hazards to become the single biggest fire risk on commercial aircraft, with aviation safety investigators warning that lithium battery incidents are now the number one threat to passenger safety in the skies. And the problem is getting significantly worse.

A sharp rise in dangerous devices

The number of lithium battery-powered devices discovered in aircraft hold luggage has nearly doubled in the past twelve months, according to data reviewed by aviation authorities. Investigators recorded 533 such incidents in checked baggage last year, up from 271 the year before. Power banks, e-cigarettes, and vaping devices account for the vast majority of cases. These aren’t obscure gadgets — they’re items millions of people carry every day without thinking twice about where they pack them.

The danger is specific and serious. Lithium batteries can enter a state called thermal runaway, where internal heat builds uncontrollably, causing the cell to ignite. In a cargo hold, where crew can’t easily access a fire, that can be catastrophic.

Why hold luggage is the real problem

Regulations have long required passengers to carry lithium battery devices in their cabin bags, not checked luggage. The reasoning is straightforward: if a device ignites in the cabin, crew can see it and respond immediately. But passengers routinely ignore the rule, whether through ignorance or forgetfulness. Airlines and airport security staff intercept thousands of devices a year — yet clearly not all of them.

It’s the scale of the increase that’s alarming safety officials. A near-doubling in one year suggests the travelling public either doesn’t know the rules or doesn’t take them seriously.

“Lithium battery fires represent the most significant safety risk we currently face in commercial aviation, and the trend is moving in the wrong direction,” said a spokesperson for the UK Civil Aviation Authority. “Passengers must understand that putting a power bank in their hold bag isn’t a minor oversight — it’s genuinely dangerous.”

Vapes are a growing part of the problem

E-cigarettes deserve particular attention. The devices contain small but volatile lithium cells and are increasingly turning up in hold bags as passengers try to conceal them from cabin crew who might confiscate them mid-flight. Some travellers wrongly assume that hiding a vape in checked luggage is the safer option. It isn’t. It’s actually the opposite.

Several in-flight fires in recent years have been traced directly to vaping devices igniting in cargo holds. The consequences in each case were serious enough to require emergency responses.

What needs to change

Aviation authorities are pushing for stronger messaging at check-in and security, with some airports now displaying explicit warnings about power banks and vapes at bag-drop desks. There are also calls for airlines to do more screening of hold luggage specifically for battery-powered devices.

Still, enforcement alone won’t fix this. Passenger education has to be part of the solution. The rules exist for good reason, and until more travellers genuinely understand the risk, the number of close calls in the sky is likely to keep climbing.