An EasyJet flight was forced to divert to Rome last month after a power bank was discovered packed in the hold – the latest incident in a surge of lithium battery fires that the aviation regulator now calls the number one safety risk to aircraft.
Figures from the Civil Aviation Authority show the number of devices containing lithium batteries found in hold bags nearly doubled in a year, from 316 incidents in 2024 to 643 in 2025. Reports of devices overheating or malfunctioning also rose sharply, from 123 to 206 over the same period. The CAA said around two such incidents are now occurring each week.
“Lithium battery incidents in hold bags nearly doubled in a year, now the top aircraft fire risk, CAA warns.”
Most of these happen in the cabin, where crew can intervene. But if a fire starts in the hold, it may go unnoticed until it is too late to control. In October 2025, video widely shared online showed flames belching from an overhead storage compartment on an Air China flight, reportedly caused by a lithium battery.
The warning comes as the school summer holidays begin in Scotland this week, with millions of passengers expected to travel. The CAA said the average person now takes four lithium-powered devices – including laptops, vapes, power banks, mobile phones and smart watches – on a flight. The batteries can store huge amounts of energy in a small space and, if overheated or defective, can trigger a fire that spreads quickly and is hard to control.
Despite the risks, the CAA believes many passengers are still unaware of the rules. Only two power banks per person are allowed on a flight, and they can never be charged onboard. Laptops placed in checked bags must be turned off completely. All other devices – including phones, vapes and power banks – should be carried in the cabin.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said the risk of lithium battery incidents was a “growing challenge” as the number of electronic devices people use increases. “Whilst pilots and cabin crew are trained to deal with any situation, the best outcome is always prevention, which starts when passengers pack their bags,” he said.
The surge in incidents has prompted a fresh safety campaign urging passengers to check before they check in. Giuseppe Capanna, a product safety engineer at the campaigning charity Electrical Safety First, said lithium batteries carry enormous energy in a compact form – a combination that, when it goes wrong, can lead to catastrophic fires at 35,000 feet.