Passengers in a year break rule causing planes to be diverted

Passengers are being warned after new incidents show why airlines are focusing on lithium batteries in checked luggage, with cases prompting diversions and growing regulatory attention. The Civil Aviation Authority says the number of batteries and devices found in hold bags has nearly doubled in a year, and estimates the average passenger carries four different lithium-powered devices on a flight. The regulator reported almost 650 incidents involving batteries in hold luggage last year, twice the 2024 figure, and 206 reports of batteries overheating or malfunctioning. With lithium fires in the hold, crews may not detect problems until it is too late, while a cabin-origin malfunction is more likely to be addressed. The CAA adds that two lithium battery incidents occur every week. It cited a recent easyJet diversion linked to a power bank in the hold, and referenced online video of a fire aboard an Air China flight from October. The CAA reminds passengers to carry items like phones, vapes and power banks in the cabin, limit to two power banks per person, and switch off laptops completely if they must be checked.