Air Canada Power Bank Rules 2026: Limits, Approval, Anker Ban

Can you bring a power bank on Air Canada? Yes, in the cabin, and check the model number

Air Canada’s page is unusual in two ways. It still describes the 100 to 160Wh approval tier that most carriers are dropping, and it is one of very few airlines that names recalled power banks on the policy page itself. If you own an Anker Zolo, read the third bullet before anything else.

How this page was built. VoyageHacks read the “Batteries and personal electronic devices” card on Air Canada’s special items page on 16 September 2026 and quotes it directly below, alongside the FAA PackSafe rule and IATA’s 31 March 2026 operator guidance. Where Air Canada publishes nothing on a point, the page says so. All 38 carriers are compared in power bank rules by airline.

Air Canada’s power bank rules in one table

What Air Canada’s page says, word for word

Read on 16 September 2026:

• “The following Anker power banks pose a fire hazard and are prohibited on board: Anker Power Bank A1647; Anker Zolo Power Bank A1681; Anker Zolo Power Bank A1689.”
• “Spare cells or battery packs normally used for camera equipment, mobile phones, drones, power tools, power banks, etc.” are covered by the same acceptance and packaging rules as personal electronic devices.
• “Maximum 20 spare cells/battery packs, of which, no more than: 2 lithium-ion batteries with a rating of 100 but not exceeding 160 Wh.”
• “Maximum of 2 individually protected spare lithium-ion batteries per passenger, pending approval by Air Canada airport agents.”
• “Watt-hours (Wh) are calculated by multiplying voltage (V) by ampere-hours (Ah): Volts x amps = watt-hours (Wh).”
• “Battery-powered personal electronic devices containing batteries and spare cells or batteries must always be removed from carry-on baggage that is deposited on those carts and must carried into the aircraft cabin.”
• “Small lithium battery-powered vehicles are not accepted in either checked baggage or carry-on baggage”, a list that includes motorised or riding luggage such as Modobag.

The page also caps each passenger at 15 personal electronic devices containing batteries, carry-on only.

Is your power bank under 100Wh, or in the approval tier?

Air Canada gives the formula in volts and amp-hours. Power banks are labelled in milliamp-hours at a nominal 3.7 volts, so the working version is Wh = mAh x 3.7 / 1,000.

The approval is given by an airport agent, not in advance online, so a 30,000mAh bank is a conversation at the check-in desk. Under 100Wh there is no conversation.

The Anker models Air Canada bans by name

Three model numbers appear on Air Canada’s page as “prohibited on board”:

The FAA’s rule is broader: damaged or recalled batteries and battery-powered devices must not be carried aboard an aircraft, in carry-on or checked baggage. So the full list to check against is longer than Air Canada’s three:

The three banks in the grid above are A1259, A1383 and A1340, none of which is on either list as of 16 September 2026.

Using a power bank on an Air Canada flight

Air Canada’s page publishes nothing about using or recharging a power bank in the air, and nothing about the overhead bin. That does not mean anything goes. The ICAO addendum of 27 March 2026, which Canada applies, requires that a power bank is not recharged on board and recommends that it is not used to charge a device, and crew enforce it.

The practical rule on Air Canada is the one the stricter airlines publish: keep the bank in the seat pocket or the bag under the seat in front, charge your phone from the seat’s own USB port, and do not plug the bank into anything. On flights to South Korea, in-flight use and charging are banned by Korean law, and Delta’s page notes “significant financial penalties” for non-compliance there.

The Sky Check rule on small aircraft

Air Canada Express flights on Dash 8 and CRJ aircraft use Sky Check: you leave your roller bag on a cart at the aircraft door and collect it on arrival. Air Canada’s page is explicit that batteries, spare cells and battery-powered devices “must always be removed” from a bag left on that cart and carried into the cabin. On a Toronto to Ottawa or Vancouver to Victoria hop, that means the power bank moves to your jacket pocket or personal item before you reach the aircraft.

How Air Canada compares with its Star Alliance partners

On a connection through Frankfurt or Munich, Lufthansa’s rules apply on that leg: no use at all in flight, and the bank out of the overhead bin.

What changes on 1 January 2027

The approval tier disappears. IATA’s operator guidance of 31 March 2026 states that the provision allowing 100 to 160Wh power banks with airline approval “will not be carried into the 68th edition” of the Dangerous Goods Regulations, in force from 1 January 2027. From that date the ceiling for a passenger’s power bank is a flat 100Wh, about 27,000mAh, on Air Canada and everywhere else. A 30,000mAh bank you get approved this autumn will not fly next year.

Before you fly Air Canada: the 60-second check

1. Check the model number against the three Anker units above, then the full recall table.
2. Read the Wh. Under 100Wh, nothing to do. 100 to 160Wh, ask the agent at check-in and accept that two is the maximum.
3. Carry-on only, terminals taped or in a pouch.
4. Small aircraft? The bank comes out of the Sky Check bag and into your pocket.
5. Do not plug the bank into the seat, and keep it within reach rather than overhead.

For a bank that passes every carrier’s rule, see best travel power banks; for the cabin bag the rest of your kit goes in, carry-on suitcases that fit every airline; and for all 38 airlines side by side, power bank rules by airline.

Frequently asked questions

How many power banks can I bring on Air Canada?

Air Canada publishes no separate count for power banks. Its batteries page groups power banks with spare cells and battery packs: a maximum of 20 spares per passenger in carry-on only, of which no more than two may be lithium ion batteries rated 100 to 160Wh, and those two need approval from an Air Canada airport agent. Under 100Wh, the 20-spare ceiling is the only number. ICAO’s baseline of two power banks per person applies on top.

Does Air Canada allow power banks over 100Wh?

Up to 160Wh, with approval. Air Canada allows a maximum of two individually protected spare lithium ion batteries rated 100 to 160Wh per passenger, in carry-on only, pending approval by Air Canada airport agents. Above 160Wh nothing is accepted. Note that from 1 January 2027 IATA drops the 100 to 160Wh tier for power banks entirely, so a 30,000mAh bank that flies with approval today will not fly next year.

Which power banks does Air Canada ban by name?

Three Anker models. Air Canada’s page states that the Anker Power Bank A1647, the Anker Zolo Power Bank A1681 and the Anker Zolo Power Bank A1689 pose a fire hazard and are prohibited on board. All three are under US CPSC recall 25-466 of 18 September 2025. The model number is printed on the case. Air Canada also refuses motorised or rideable luggage such as Modobag in both checked and carry-on baggage.

Can I use a power bank during an Air Canada flight?

Air Canada’s batteries page publishes no rule on using or recharging a power bank in flight, so the ICAO baseline of 27 March 2026 applies: the bank must not be recharged on board, and crew may ask you to stop charging a device from it. Keep it within reach rather than in an overhead bin, which is what every carrier that does publish a rule now requires, and follow crew instructions.

Can a power bank go in checked luggage on Air Canada?

No. Air Canada’s table marks spare cells and battery packs, including power banks, as carry-on baggage only. On smaller aircraft where carry-on bags are left on a Sky Check cart at the aircraft door, Air Canada requires that all batteries and spare cells are removed from the bag and carried into the cabin. Terminals must be protected against short circuit, in original packaging, a pouch or with tape over the contacts.

How does Air Canada calculate watt-hours?

Air Canada’s page gives the formula volts x amp-hours = watt-hours. Power banks are usually labelled in milliamp-hours at 3.7 volts, so the practical version is Wh = mAh x 3.7 / 1,000: a 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh, 20,000mAh about 74Wh, 27,000mAh about 100Wh, and 30,000mAh about 111Wh, which is in the approval tier until the end of 2026.

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