Yes, you can take a power bank on a plane. All major airlines allow it, with two conditions: you travel with hand luggage and its capacity remains under the limit established by international air safety standards. Bring one that exceeds this limit or pack it in the wrong bag and you’ll lose it at security. In the worst case scenario, the staff takes your bag off the flight while you wait at the gate. So, before you fly, it’s worth knowing three things: what the rules say, how to read the numbers printed on the battery, and which clear safety models without problems.
Checked Baggage vs. handheld: where does the power bank go
Start with the rule that bugs most travelers: a power bank belongs in hand luggage, never in checked luggage. This applies to IATA regulations, TSA guidelines in the United States, and all commercial airlines and routes you may book. It is not a procedure in itself. It boils down to fire.
Almost all modern power banks are powered by lithium-ion cells, and in rare cases, lithium-ion cells can go into thermal runaway – a self-feeding reaction that gives off heat and sometimes flame. A damaged or defective cell reaches this state most easily with pressure changes and rough handling, the exact conditions a bag meets in the hold. In the cockpit, a flight attendant spots the problem and drops the device into a fire containment bag within seconds, and planes carry these bags for that reason. In the cargo hold, no one sees the smoke and no one reaches the battery, so aviation authorities draw a hard line: spare lithium batteries stay out of checked bags.
The fall is worth imagining. Leave a power bank in a suitcase you’ve already checked and one of the following two things. Either the scanner picks it up and the airline takes it out of your bag, which you may or may not return at the other end, or the airport takes your entire bag off the plane after you board and your luggage gets left behind as you fly. Keep power banks in your hand luggage, near the top where you can reach them, as airport security personnel may ask you to remove them.
What is the maximum power bank capacity allowed on an airplane?
Most of the confusion lies here, because airlines count capacity in watt-hours (Wh), while the bulk of the case is almost always milliamp-hours (mAh). The limits themselves are kept simple. IATA standards classify lithium-ion power banks into three bands:
- Up to 100 Wh: OK in handheld, no approval required. This band covers almost every power bank sold to consumers, including everything Canyon makes for travel.
- 100 to 160 Wh: Allowed in carry-on, but you clear it with the airline first and you don’t bring more than two. Large camera installations and portable power stations often land here.
- More than 160 Wh: forbidden to enter the passenger cabin. These industrial batteries are shipped as a dedicated load under separate rules.
A detail travelers miss: Even at the 100Wh mark, you can carry two spare batteries on top of the ones already in your phone and laptop. A couple of power banks in a backpack won’t bother the crew, as long as each one is below the limit.
How to convert mAh to Wh: Formula airlines really look
Manufacturers print 10,000 mAh or 20,000 mAh on the case so that buyers recognize the number. Airlines and security teams work in watt-hours, as Wh reflects stored energy and the risk it carries. A line of arithmetic joins the two:
Wh = (mAh × V) / 1000
V is the cell voltage. For the Li-ion cells inside almost all power banks, this value is found to be 3.7V, giving you a quick way to check any model on a shelf:
- A 10,000 mAh bank: (10,000 × 3.7) / 1000 = 37 Wh, much less than 100.
- A bank of 20,000 mAh – 74 Wh, still comfortable.
- A 25,000 mAh bank: 92.5 Wh, near the ceiling but below.
- A 27,000 mAh bank: about 99.9 Wh, right at the limit before needing airline approval.
In practice, any power bank up to approximately 27,000 mAh at standard voltage erases the rule. Canyon’s OnPower travel range falls well below that mark. Some premium models use 3.8V or 7.4V cells, which changes the math, so trust the watt-hour figure printed on the device, because that’s the safe reading number.
Essential rules for flying with an external battery
Go through this before you leave the house. It costs a minute and saves you an argument at the door.
- clear marks The capacity in mAh, and ideally in Wh, should be clearly displayed on the outside of the box. Once that tag fades, which happens with older banks, security can confiscate the device, because no one can prove it’s below the limit. A new, well-branded bank sidesteps the whole question.
- Protect the ports. A loose port on a backpack is shorted the moment it touches a key, coin, or set of exposed headphone terminals. Store the bank in its box, a soft bag or its own compartment. A short circuit is one of the sparks that triggers thermal runaway.
- turn it off Turn off your device or put it on standby when you pass the checkpoint and disconnect any cables.
- Keep the batteries separate. Wherever you can, store power banks away from spare camera cells and vape pens, so the terminals won’t be exposed during a bumpy taxi.
- Keep it accessible. The staff may ask you to pick up any power bank and place it in a tray for the x-ray, so pack it on top.
How to choose a safe power bank for flights
With the rules set, the practical question remains: are power banks allowed on airplanes, regardless of model, and what should you buy? Any bank under 100Wh flies, but a well-built one smooths the ride. Search for:
- Capacity printed in mAh and Wh on the body.
- Certifications you recognize, such as CE, RoHS, and FCC, plus clear wording from the manufacturer’s airline compliance.
- Integrated protections against overcurrent, overheating, overvoltage and short circuits.
- A size that fits the way you travel. 10,000 mAh covers a phone and a couple of recharges; 20,000 mAh carry a phone and tablet for a day’s long haul; 25,000 mAh keeps a laptop alive between terminals.
A few Canyon power banks that travel well
Each model below is under the 100 Wh ceiling, prints its capacity in plain sight, carries the above certifications, and includes the protection circuitry required by aviation standards.
Canyon OnPower 510: 10,000 mAh / 37 Wh
A compact magnetic wireless bank for the lightest travel kit. It clips onto the back of a compatible phone and charges it wirelessly, and a 20W USB-C port takes care of wired charging when you want it. At 37 Wh it stays well below the limit, and Canyon markets it as airline compatible. Choose it when your concern is a phone and a set of headphones.
Canyon OnPower 600: 20,000 mAh / 74 Wh
More capacity for anyone carrying a phone and a tablet, or two people sharing a bench for a long day. 74 Wh fits inside the 100 Wh allowance, and the bigger mobile means several phone charges between plugs, which counts on a day of travel where the next socket is hours free.
Canyon OnPower 240: 25,000 mAh / 92.5 Wh
Heavy duty transport, built to keep a laptop running between meetings or in a lounge. It pushes 140W of ultra-fast charging from a 25,000mAh cell, sits at the top of the safe band at 92.5Wh, and still goes up without airline approval. Three ports allow a laptop, phone and tablet to be powered by a brick.
Canyon PB-2008 power bank: 20,000 mAh / 74 Wh, 100 W output
Built for travelers whose laptop needs juice halfway through. The 100W USB-C output keeps most modern laptops charged, and the 20,000mAh cell adds multiple phone charges on the side. The same airline-safe 74 Wh as the OnPower 600, with more output for larger devices.
In each of these answers, the question is the power bank allowed in flight with a yes. They carry clear labels, have less than 100 Wh and work with the safety systems required by international standards.
Can a power bank be used during the flight?
On most airlines, yes. Once you’re past the checkpoint and in your seat, you can charge a phone or tablet from a power bank just as you would at home. Some airlines ask you to keep your batteries off during taxi, takeoff and landing, and store them where the crew can reach them, so listen to the safety information and check the airline’s page before you count on it. Two habits keep you out of trouble: keep your bank in your seat pocket or underseat bag instead of the overhead bin, where a failure would be out of sight, and stop charging the moment a device or bank gets hot. If the crew asks you to keep a battery, do so. They operate under the same fire safety regulations that put the bank in carry-on luggage to begin with.
Is your phone or laptop up to the limit?
The 100 Wh ceiling applies to spare batteries and power banks, which are not installed in a device. Your phone, tablet or laptop battery travels as part of this device and does not count towards your power bank allowance, although the laptop remains with the handheld for the same fire reason. A typical laptop battery lands between 40 and 90 Wh, well within the passenger limit on its own. People slip with loose spares: An extra laptop battery or camera battery bag follows the same rules as a power bank, so tape the terminals or keep them in their own case and count them towards your allowance of two spares.
Takeaway food
So can you take a battery on a plane? Yes, as long as it goes in your carry-on and stays below 100 Wh, which describes almost all consumer models built for travel. And one more version of the question that comes up often: can a battery be carried on a plane in the same way? The same rules apply, as “battery pack” is another name for the same device. Keep yours in your carry-on, label it clearly, have a reasonable capacity, and your travel bank becomes one of the most useful things in your bag: a constant charge waiting at every door and seat for years.