Power Bank Rules for Indian Flights: What the 100 Wh Limit Means in mAh
The limit on Indian flights is 100 Wh, not a mAh number, which works out to roughly 27,000 mAh: here is the conversion table, the two power bank cap, and the within reach rule that keeps them out of the overhead bin.
You may carry a power bank on an Indian flight in cabin baggage only, and the limit is 100 watt hours, not a milliamp hour number. At the 3.7 V cell voltage most packs are rated at, 100 Wh works out to roughly 27,000 mAh, so a 20,000 mAh pack at 74 Wh is comfortably legal and a 30,000 mAh pack at about 111 Wh is not. Air India and IndiGo both cap you at two power banks per passenger, ban them from checked baggage entirely, and no longer allow you to switch one on, charge it, or use it to charge a phone once you are on board. The rule that catches most people is the last one: the power bank has to stay within reach at your seat, so it cannot go in the overhead bin.
In this article
- The limit is watt hours, not mAh
- Converting your power bank's mAh rating to watt hours
- How many power banks you can carry
- Why you can no longer use one in flight
- The within reach rule and what it means for your bag
- Packing batteries for security screening
- FAQ
Is the power bank limit measured in mAh or watt hours?
Watt hours. Every airline rule, in India and everywhere else, is written in watt hours, abbreviated Wh. Milliamp hours are what the box shouts about, and not what anyone at the gate checks against.
The thresholds come from the international dangerous goods framework Indian carriers follow. A lithium ion battery up to 100 Wh travels in carry on baggage without asking anyone. Between 100 Wh and 160 Wh it needs the airline's approval in advance. Above 160 Wh it moves as cargo, not with a passenger. IATA's guidance for passengers travelling with lithium batteries sets out those three bands and states the calculation in one line: Wh equals Ah multiplied by V.
For power banks specifically, Indian carriers take the strict reading of that framework. Air India's published restricted baggage rules say only power banks up to 100 Wh are allowed, that they must be carried in hand baggage only, and that no exceptions apply, including for new or unopened devices. The 100 Wh to 160 Wh approval band that exists for camera and medical batteries does not extend to an ordinary power bank.
How do I convert my power bank's mAh rating to watt hours?
Divide the mAh figure by 1,000 to get amp hours, then multiply by the cell voltage printed on the pack. Almost every consumer power bank is rated at a nominal 3.7 V, some at 3.6 V. Use that number, not the 5 V the USB port delivers. Using 5 V is the most common mistake here and it will tell you a legal pack is illegal.
A 20,000 mAh pack is therefore 20 Ah multiplied by 3.7 V, which is 74 Wh. Here is where the common capacities land.
| Labelled capacity | At 3.7 V | At 3.6 V | Status on an Indian flight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 mAh | 18.5 Wh | 18.0 Wh | Cabin, no approval needed |
| 10,000 mAh | 37.0 Wh | 36.0 Wh | Cabin, no approval needed |
| 20,000 mAh | 74.0 Wh | 72.0 Wh | Cabin, no approval needed |
| 25,000 mAh | 92.5 Wh | 90.0 Wh | Cabin, close to the ceiling |
| 27,000 mAh | 99.9 Wh | 97.2 Wh | The practical cut off |
| 30,000 mAh | 111.0 Wh | 108.0 Wh | Over the 100 Wh power bank limit |
| 50,000 mAh | 185.0 Wh | 180.0 Wh | Above 160 Wh, not carried by passengers |
Calculated with the formula published by IATA, Wh equals Ah multiplied by V, using the 3.7 V and 3.6 V nominal cell voltages that consumer packs are rated at.
Two things follow. 27,000 mAh is the real ceiling, which is why airline guidance quoting a mAh figure tends to say about 27,000 mAh. And almost nobody has a problem here: the 10,000 mAh and 20,000 mAh packs most people carry sit at 37 Wh and 74 Wh. The packs that get stopped are the 30,000 mAh and larger bricks sold for camping and laptop charging.
One caveat. If the pack has a Wh rating printed on it, that printed number counts, not your arithmetic. An unmarked pack is the one most likely to be questioned, because staff have nothing to read.
How many power banks can I carry on an Indian flight?
Two. Air India states a maximum of 2 power banks per passenger. IndiGo's baggage policy frames it the same way from the other direction, allowing a maximum of two spare or loose lithium ion batteries, power banks included, rated up to 100 Wh. IATA's passenger guidance also uses two as the power bank figure.
That count is for spare batteries, meaning anything not installed in a device. Your phone, laptop, tablet, camera and earbuds have batteries inside them and none count against the two. IndiGo allows up to 15 portable electronic devices rated at or under 100 Wh, so a laptop, a phone, a tablet, earbuds and two power banks is a compliant load.
Checked baggage is the absolute rule, with no negotiation in it. Spare lithium batteries and power banks are forbidden in the hold on every Indian carrier. Take them out of any bag you are checking at home, not at the counter.
Can I use a power bank during the flight?
No, and this is the part that has changed. Indian carriers now prohibit using a power bank on board altogether, following a tightening of guidance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation after a run of lithium battery incidents in aircraft cabins.
Air India's wording is that use or charging of power banks onboard is not permitted. IndiGo states the batteries must not be recharged while on board and should not be used to recharge a portable electronic device. Between them that closes both directions: you cannot fill the power bank from the seat socket, and you cannot fill your phone from the power bank.
So charge everything before you fly and use the seat's own USB socket where the aircraft has one. On a 2 hour domestic sector a phone at 80 percent lands with plenty left. The power bank is now a ground asset, useful the moment you are off the aircraft and in a queue for a cab.
Where does the power bank have to sit during the flight?
Within your personal reach, at your seat. IndiGo spells out the locations: under the seat, in the seat pocket, or carried on your person. It also states plainly that these batteries cannot be stowed in overhead compartments. Air India uses the same rule, that power banks and spare batteries cannot be placed in overhead bins.
The reasoning is straightforward. A lithium cell in thermal runaway is something the crew has to reach within seconds, and a bag two rows forward in a closed bin is not reachable in seconds. That is why cabin crew have started asking about it during boarding.
It has a packing consequence most travellers have not caught up with. If you fly with one large cabin bag and it goes in the bin, your power bank cannot be in it. Either you dig the batteries out at your seat and hold them loose for the sector, which is how power banks end up forgotten in seat pockets, or you carry a second, smaller bag that stays at your feet.
The second approach is cleaner, and it pairs neatly with the personal item allowance that Indian carriers already give you alongside your 7 kg cabin bag. We covered how much that second bag can actually swallow in What Fits in a 7kg Cabin Bag? A Real Packing List for Indian Domestic Flights.
3.4 L, 28 x 15 x 10 cm, 175 g empty. A quick access front zip pocket puts the power bank where the rule requires it, a padded back panel, and an adjustable chest or shoulder strap. Water-repellent nylon.
How should I pack batteries and cables for security screening?
Both carriers require spare batteries to be individually protected against short circuit. IndiGo's wording is that terminals must be taped and insulated, and that batteries should be in their original retail packaging or in separate plastic bags. A sealed power bank with recessed USB ports has no exposed terminals to tape, so in practice this means keeping packs from touching each other and from touching loose metal such as keys and coins.
Screening is faster when electronics come out of the bag as a group rather than one at a time. Three habits do most of the work:
- Keep the laptop in its own compartment. A dedicated bay means you lift the machine straight out without unpacking everything stacked on top of it.
- Keep the power banks in one outer pocket. If you are asked to show them, they come out in one movement instead of a search.
- Keep cables and earbuds in a single flat case. Loose cables read as a tangle on the scanner image and a tangle is what gets a bag pulled for a manual check.
17 L, 43 x 29 x 17 cm, 560 g empty. A dedicated compartment for a laptop up to 15 inch, a rear access compartment, a front organiser panel that keeps the power banks in one place, padded breathable straps and a top grab handle. Water-repellent nylon.
0.25 L, 15 x 10 x 2 cm, 40 g empty. A slim organiser for cables, cards and earbuds that moves from the backpack to the seat pocket in one lift. Water-repellent nylon.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 20,000 mAh power bank allowed on Indian flights?
Yes. At the usual 3.7 V nominal cell voltage, 20,000 mAh is 74 Wh, well inside the 100 Wh ceiling Air India and IndiGo both apply. It travels in your cabin bag, within reach at your seat, and you may carry two.
Can I carry a 30,000 mAh power bank on a flight in India?
Not as an ordinary power bank. At 3.7 V a 30,000 mAh pack computes to about 111 Wh, over the 100 Wh limit Indian carriers apply to power banks, with no approval route above it. If the pack carries a printed Wh rating below 100, that printed figure governs, so check the marking.
Can a power bank go in checked baggage on an Indian flight?
No. Power banks and spare lithium batteries are forbidden in the hold, and Air India notes no exceptions apply, including for new or unopened devices. Take them out of any bag you intend to check, and out of a cabin bag that might be gate checked.
Do the batteries inside my laptop and phone count towards the limit of two?
No. The limit of two applies to spare or loose batteries, meaning anything not fitted inside a device. IndiGo separately allows up to 15 portable electronic devices with batteries rated at or under 100 Wh.
What happens if my power bank is in the overhead bin?
Cabin crew will ask you to bring it down to your seat. The requirement is that the battery stays within your personal reach, in the seat pocket, under the seat, or on your person, so a bag in the bin does not satisfy it. Sort it out while boarding.
Do the same rules apply on international flights from India?
The 100 Wh threshold, the cabin only rule and the short circuit protection requirement are international and travel with you. What varies is the spare battery count and the in flight use rule, which individual carriers set. Check the operating airline's dangerous goods page, and note that on a codeshare it is the operating carrier's rule that applies, not the one whose name is on your ticket.
Carry the batteries where the rule wants them
A bag that stays at your feet, an outer pocket for the power banks, one flat case for the cables. The Drift range is built in water-repellent nylon, in Morning Fog and Midnight Transit.
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