Air France Power Bank Rules 2026: 160Wh, Approval, No Bins

Can you bring a power bank on Air France? Yes, in the cabin, and the bin is off limits

Air France’s page is one of the more complete in Europe: it names power banks as a category of their own, gives three capacity tiers with a yes or no for cabin and hold, and spells out the approval process for the middle tier. The one rule it does not state is whether you may use the bank in the air.

How this page was built. VoyageHacks read Air France’s “Electric and electronic devices, batteries and replacement batteries” page on 16 September 2026 and quotes it directly below, alongside EASA’s Safety Information Bulletin 2025-03 and IATA’s 31 March 2026 operator guidance. Where Air France publishes nothing on a point, the page says so. All 38 carriers are compared in power bank rules by airline.

Air France’s power bank rules in one table

What Air France’s page says, word for word

Read on 16 September 2026:

• “External batteries (power banks) ≤ 160 Wh (lithium ion): In the cabin: Yes, but prohibited in the overhead storage bins. They must remain under your supervision at all times and be readily accessible. In the hold: No.”
• “In the cabin, external batteries (power banks) and spare or removed batteries between 100 and 160 Wh are limited to 2 items per person in total.”
• “If the capacity of your external batteries (power banks) is between 100 and 160 Wh, transport approval is mandatory and must be systematically requested from Air France or your travel agency before your trip.”
• “Devices equipped with lithium batteries, spare or removed lithium batteries, and external batteries > 160 Wh (lithium ion) or > 8 grams (lithium metal): In the cabin: No; In the hold: No.”
• “Damaged, defective, or manufacturer-recalled devices and lithium batteries are not allowed on board.”
• “Battery-powered baggage: Non-removable battery: In the cabin: No; In the hold: No. Removable battery: In the cabin: Yes, provided that the battery is removed. In the hold: Yes, as long as the battery is removed from the baggage item and kept in the cabin.”

Which tier is your power bank in?

Air France’s tiers are in watt-hours; the box says milliamp-hours. Read the Wh printed on the case or convert with Wh = mAh x 3.7 / 1,000.

The approval is not a gate formality: Air France says it must be “systematically requested … before your trip”, through Air France or the agency that sold the ticket. If you have not requested it, a 30,000mAh bank is a problem at the airport. Under 100Wh, nothing to request.

Where the bank goes on an Air France flight

Air France is explicit that the overhead storage bins are prohibited for power banks. The bank stays “under your supervision at all times”: in the seat pocket, in a jacket pocket, or in the bag under the seat in front of you.

The reasoning is EASA’s. Its Safety Information Bulletin 2025-03 asks airlines to have passengers carry power banks where they can be monitored, on the person if possible, because a lithium cell in thermal runaway needs to be reached in seconds. Air France turned that into a rule; several airlines still leave it as advice.

Battery-powered suitcases follow the same logic. A non-removable battery means the bag does not fly at all. A removable one comes out and travels in the cabin with you, where Air France’s page treats it as an external battery.

Using a power bank on an Air France flight

Air France’s page says where the bank must be, not whether you may plug a phone into it. That silence is unusual in the Air France-KLM group: KLM’s page states that using or charging a power bank on board is not allowed.

The ICAO addendum of 27 March 2026 fills the gap: a power bank must not be recharged on board, and should not be used to charge a device. On a Paris to Amsterdam connection you will be under KLM’s outright ban on the second leg anyway, so the simplest habit is to charge from the seat’s USB port on both and keep the bank in view. Crew instructions override everything on this page.

Recalled power banks are not allowed on board

Air France says so in a sentence: “damaged, defective, or manufacturer-recalled devices and lithium batteries are not allowed on board.” Check the model number on the case against these CPSC recalls:

The A1689 is the Anker Zolo 20,000mAh 30W USB-C model, banned by name on Air Canada’s page. The three banks in the grid above are A1259, A1383 and A1340, none of which is recalled as of 16 September 2026.

How Air France compares with KLM, Lufthansa and Delta

On a transatlantic Air France and Delta itinerary, Delta’s flat 100Wh cap is the stricter one: a 30,000mAh bank approved by Air France will not board the Delta leg.

What changes on 1 January 2027

The approval tier goes. 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 Air France’s middle row disappears and the ceiling for a power bank is a flat 100Wh, about 27,000mAh.

Before you fly Air France: the 60-second check

1. Read the Wh. Under 100Wh, no request needed. 100 to 160Wh, request approval before the trip, maximum two.
2. Check the model number against the recall table above.
3. Cabin only. The hold is “No” at every capacity.
4. Out of the overhead bin. Seat pocket, jacket pocket or under-seat bag.
5. Charge from the seat port, not the bank, and keep the bank in view; on a KLM connection, no use at all.
6. Battery-powered suitcase? Battery out and in the cabin, or the bag stays home.

Air France’s fares, bag fees and cabins are covered in our Air France review. For a bank that passes every carrier’s rule, see best travel power banks, 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 France?

Air France publishes a count only for the larger tier: in the cabin, external batteries (power banks) and spare batteries between 100 and 160Wh are limited to two items per person in total. Under 100Wh there is no separate count beyond the general allowance of 15 devices and 20 spare batteries, but ICAO’s baseline of two power banks per passenger, effective 27 March 2026, applies to Air France flights as to every airline.

Does Air France allow power banks over 100Wh?

Yes, up to 160Wh, with mandatory approval. Air France’s page says that if the capacity of your external battery is between 100 and 160Wh, transport approval is mandatory and must be systematically requested from Air France or your travel agency before your trip. Two such items per person is the maximum. Above 160Wh, external batteries are prohibited in both the cabin and the hold. From 1 January 2027 the 100 to 160Wh tier disappears under IATA’s rules.

Can I put a power bank in the overhead bin on Air France?

No. Air France’s page states that in the cabin, power banks are prohibited in the overhead storage bins and must remain under your supervision at all times and be readily accessible. Keep it in the seat pocket, on your person or in the bag under the seat in front of you. That is also EASA’s advice in its 2025 safety bulletin: carry the bank where it can be monitored.

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

Air France’s page publishes no rule on using or recharging a power bank in flight, only that it must stay under your supervision and readily accessible. The ICAO addendum of 27 March 2026 requires that a power bank is not recharged on board and recommends it is not used to charge a device, and Air France’s partner KLM bans both outright. Charge your phone from the seat’s USB port and keep the bank in view.

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

No. Air France’s table marks external batteries as not allowed in the hold at any capacity. Battery-powered luggage follows the same logic: a bag with a non-removable battery is banned in the cabin and the hold, and a bag with a removable battery may travel in the hold only if the battery is removed and kept in the cabin, where it is then treated as a power bank.

What does Air France say about recalled power banks?

Air France’s page states that damaged, defective or manufacturer-recalled devices and lithium batteries are not allowed on board. Recalled power banks include seven Anker models under CPSC recalls (A1263, A1642, A1647, A1652, A1257, A1681 and A1689, the last being the Zolo 20,000mAh 30W USB-C), the INIU BI-B41 and the Baseus PPCXM06 and PPCXW06. The model number is printed on the case.

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