Flying with batteries: the air transport limits, body by body.

IATA itself says its passenger guidance is for guidance only and should not be relied on as a source of regulatory compliance. The limits below are reported as each body states them. They are not packing instructions, and nothing here says any battery may be carried; in IATA's table, batteries over 100 Wh need the operator's approval, and those over 160 Wh must go as cargo. A smoking or burning battery needs the crew or the emergency services at once.

IATA: the passenger limits (31 March 2026)

IATA's guidance "Passengers Travelling with Lithium Batteries", revised for the 2026 regulations and dated 31 March 2026, is based on the 2025-2026 edition of the ICAO Technical Instructions and the 67th edition (2026) of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. For lithium-ion (rechargeable) batteries the limits are set by Watt-hour rating; for lithium metal batteries, by lithium content.

Further points from the same guidance:

• Spares: spare batteries must be individually protected against short circuit (IATA gives original retail packaging or otherwise insulated terminals) and carried in carry-on baggage only.
• Drones by name: IATA lists drones among items with batteries over 100 Wh for which passengers should check with the airline, because approval may be required. For multiple spares, an operator may set conditions for approval, such as extra separation or a low state of charge (under 25 percent).
• Quantity: each person is limited to 15 portable electronic devices and 20 spare batteries of any type unless the operator approves more.
• Checked devices: devices in checked baggage must be completely switched off, not in sleep or hibernation, except those with very small batteries (0.3 g lithium metal or 2.7 Wh lithium-ion per device).
• Marking and testing: lithium-ion batteries are required to have the Wh rating marked on the case, and an operator may refuse a battery whose rating staff cannot verify. Every battery must be of a type that meets UN test 38.3.

ICAO's addendum on power banks (27 March 2026)

IATA's guidance to airlines on power banks says ICAO issued an addendum to its Technical Instructions on 27 March 2026, effective that day. It separates power banks from spare batteries, limits passengers and crew to two power banks for personal use and bars recharging power banks in flight. IATA's passenger guidance gives the same two-power-bank limit, each not exceeding 100 Wh, with no recharging from aircraft power, and lists power banks above 100 Wh as forbidden. IATA says the operator guidance applies with the 67th edition of its regulations, is not effective beyond 31 December 2026, and that the 68th edition, in force from 1 January 2027, will contain the addendum's changes. IATA also notes that UN 38.3 is a transport test, not a consumer product safety standard.

United Kingdom: the CAA

The UK Civil Aviation Authority's dangerous goods page, read on 30 October 2026, says changes took effect on 27 March 2026, based on the ICAO addendum to the Technical Instructions (Doc 9284, 2025-2026 edition). They separate the spare battery and power bank provisions. Power banks for passengers and crew are carry-on only, individually protected, at most two per person, must not be recharged on board, and must meet UN 38.3.

One point on that page could not be settled: as read, it gives a 100 Wh maximum for lithium-ion power banks and also mentions operator approval for 100 to 160 Wh. The two statements could not be reconciled from the extracted text.

United States: unconfirmed

Every FAA and PHMSA page tried refused access, and the eCFR text of 49 CFR 175.10 was not read, so the US position here rests only on search-result summaries and is unconfirmed. Those summaries of the FAA's PackSafe pages and a PHMSA interpretation letter say that under 49 CFR 175.10(a)(18) passengers may carry lithium-ion batteries of 100 Wh or less, need airline approval above 100 Wh up to 160 Wh with no more than two individually protected spares in that band per person, must carry spares in carry-on baggage, and may not carry batteries above 160 Wh. The summaries also say the FAA keeps a PackSafe page for drones, covering primary and spare batteries, fuel cells and parts of certain parachute systems, and that TSA, airline and international rules may at times be stricter than the federal rule. The FAA's own pages should be read before relying on any of this.

On cargo, the AMA's magazine, Model Aviation, reported that on 9 February 2016 the FAA warned that lithium-polymer and other lithium batteries may be unsafe as cargo on passenger airliners, quoting the FAA that cargo fire suppression systems cannot effectively control a lithium battery fire.

Other countries

Australia's CASA pages, including its passenger battery material, could not be reached, and no Canadian or EU authority page on passenger batteries was read for this site. IATA's guidance is based on the ICAO Technical Instructions; how other authorities apply them was not read for this site.