Qantas Power Bank Rules 2026: Two Banks to 160Wh, No Use On Board

Can you bring a power bank on Qantas? Two, up to 160Wh, and they stay unused

Qantas moved on 15 December 2025, three months before ICAO’s global rule, and its page still carries the wording of that change: two banks, no use, no charging. What sets Qantas apart is capacity. The page caps a power bank at 160Wh, higher than the 100Wh line most airlines now draw, though the difference disappears on 1 January 2027.

How this page was built. VoyageHacks read Qantas’ “Spare batteries and power banks” page on 16 September 2026 and quotes it directly below alongside ICAO’s March 2026 announcement and IATA’s 31 March 2026 operator guidance. All 38 carriers are compared in power bank rules by airline.

Qantas’ power bank rules in one table

What Qantas’ page says, word for word

Read on 16 September 2026:

• “To help us maintain a safe journey, we’ve implemented new safety measures for power banks on flights, effective 15 December 2025: The use of power banks on board is prohibited. Charging of power banks on board is prohibited, including via in-seat power or USB ports. You may now only carry up to two power banks (each not exceeding a maximum capacity of 160Wh) in your carry-on baggage.”
• “Power banks, spare batteries and personal electronic devices (PEDs) should be within reach during the flight, including in the seat pocket or under the seat in front. If not possible, then in a nearby overhead locker.”
• “Lithium-ion batteries over 160Wh are forbidden as passenger baggage and must be sent as freight. Lithium-ion batteries must be declared during check-in. … Only two spares per passenger. The battery terminals must be protected e.g. taping over the exposed terminals.”
• “No more than 20 spare batteries in total, for personal use, are permitted. A combination of batteries may be carried e.g. 10 x 98Wh lithium ion + 2 x 138Wh lithium ion + 2 x 12V and 98Wh non-spillable + 6 x alkaline.”
• “Watt hours (Wh) are determined by multiplying the voltage (V) by the amp hours (Ah), i.e. 12V x 5Ah = 60Wh.”

Which tier is your power bank in?

Qantas 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.

A 30,000mAh bank is legal on Qantas this year and illegal on Delta, Ryanair, Emirates and Qatar Airways today, and illegal everywhere from 1 January 2027. If you are buying now, buy under 100Wh.

Why Qantas bans use on board, and where the bank goes instead

Qantas and Virgin Australia both banned onboard use and charging on 15 December 2025, after the Australian regulator’s guidance on lithium battery fires in cabins. The bank cannot be used, so where it sits is about what happens if it fails: Qantas wants it “within reach”, in the seat pocket or under the seat in front, so crew can get to it in seconds.

The overhead-locker fallback is the unusual part. Most carriers, Lufthansa and Emirates among them, ban the locker outright. Qantas allows “a nearby overhead locker” only “if not possible” to keep the bank within reach, which in practice means a full flight with no room under the seat. Treat the pocket as the rule and the locker as the exception it is.

Recalled power banks

Qantas’ page points customers to the Qantas Group Product Safety website for recalled products, and the ICAO Technical Instructions bar damaged or recalled lithium batteries from passenger aircraft. 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 Qantas compares with Virgin Australia, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines

On a Sydney to London connection through Singapore or Dubai, the second leg is the stricter one: Singapore Airlines bans the locker outright and Emirates allows only one bank.

What changes on 1 January 2027

Qantas’ 160Wh ceiling for power banks comes down to 100Wh. 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 a 30,000mAh bank that Qantas accepts with a check-in declaration today will not fly.

Before you fly Qantas: the 60-second check

1. Two banks. Within the 20-spare-battery total.
2. Read the Wh. Under 100Wh, nothing to declare. 100 to 160Wh, declare at check-in.
3. Check the model against the recall table above.
4. Tape or pouch the terminals.
5. Seat pocket or under the seat. The locker only if there is no room.
6. Charge from the seat. The bank is not used or charged on board, on Qantas or Jetstar.

For the rest of the cabin-bag rules, see carry-on suitcases that fit every airline. 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 Qantas?

Two. Since 15 December 2025, Qantas’ spare batteries and power banks page states that you may now only carry up to two power banks, each not exceeding a maximum capacity of 160Wh, in your carry-on baggage. The same rule applies on Jetstar. Power banks count within Qantas’ overall limit of 20 spare batteries per person, and none may go in checked baggage.

Can I use a power bank on a Qantas flight?

No. Qantas’ page states that the use of power banks on board is prohibited, and that charging of power banks on board is prohibited, including via in-seat power or USB ports. Both rules took effect on 15 December 2025 across Qantas and Jetstar. Qantas’ A330, 787 and A380 seats have their own USB and AC power, so charge your phone from the seat and leave the bank in the seat pocket.

Does Qantas allow power banks over 100Wh?

Up to 160Wh, yes. Qantas’ page caps each power bank at 160Wh. For spare lithium ion batteries between 100 and 160Wh generally, Qantas requires that they are declared during check-in, limits them to two spares per passenger and provides an airline approval request. Above 160Wh a battery is forbidden as passenger baggage and must be sent as freight. From 1 January 2027 IATA drops the 100 to 160Wh tier for power banks, so a 30,000mAh bank that flies on Qantas today will not fly next year.

Where must a power bank be stored on Qantas?

Within reach. Qantas’ page says power banks, spare batteries and personal electronic devices should be within reach during the flight, including in the seat pocket or under the seat in front, and only if that is not possible, in a nearby overhead locker. Qantas is one of very few airlines whose page allows the overhead locker at all, and only as a fallback. Terminals must be protected, for example by taping over exposed contacts.

Can a power bank go in checked baggage on Qantas?

No. Qantas’ rule is that power banks travel in carry-on baggage only, and spare lithium batteries over 160Wh are forbidden as passenger baggage altogether. If your carry-on is checked at the gate, take the power bank out and keep it with you. Qantas points customers to the Qantas Group Product Safety website for recalled products, which cannot be carried.

How does Qantas calculate watt-hours?

Qantas’ page gives the formula watt-hours = voltage x amp-hours, with the example 12V x 5Ah = 60Wh. Power banks are 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 43,000mAh about 160Wh, Qantas’ ceiling until the end of 2026.

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