Overview
- On Sunday, Oct. 11, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Chennai diverted to Hyderabad after a MOBIKINS MK-PB-04 powerbank caught fire in an overhead bin and the aircraft landed with no reported injuries.
- The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued an airworthiness circular directing that the MOBIKINS MK-PB-04 not be carried in cabin baggage, checked baggage, or cargo on any flight to, from, or within India.
- The DGCA instructed airlines to identify the model, stop its carriage on flights, train crews on battery-fire response, and notify passengers through suitable communications.
- Safety officials say lithium-ion powerbanks can overheat, smoke, or ignite if faulty or damaged and that a cabin or cargo fire can spread quickly and hinder crew response.
- Critics note the order targets a single model and warn that spotting one specific powerbank in passenger luggage will be operationally hard while existing DGCA rules already limit batteries to hand baggage and ban in‑flight charging.