DGCA bans this power bank on flights after IndiGo aircraft fire incident

Aviation safety regulator DGCA has prohibited the carriage and use of a particular model of power bank on flights to, from or within India following a recent fire incident involving the device.

In a communication dated September 29, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) prohibited the carriage and use of the "MOBIKINS MK-PB-04 power bank", citing a recent fire incident involving the power bank.

The regulator said the power bank should not be "carried or transported on board the aircraft, whether as passenger baggage (including checked-in and cabin baggage) or as cargo, on any flight to, from or within India".

The directive comes days after a power bank kept in the overhead bin of a Delhi-Chennai IndiGo flight caught fire, prompting the diversion of the aircraft to Hyderabad, where it landed safely.

The flight, 6E 6115, was carrying around 180 passengers and seven crew members when the incident occurred, reported PTI.

"IndiGo flight 6E 6115, operating from Delhi to Chennai on October 11, 2026, was diverted to Hyderabad after smoke was detected from a customer's personal electronic device. The cabin crew responded promptly, and the situation was brought under control," the airline said in a statement.

"In line with established protocols, the pilots diverted the flight and landed safely at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad," it added.

According to PTI, smoke was detected from the aircraft's overhead bin and a power bank had caught fire. The cabin crew doused the fire, the report said.

In nearly a year, this was at least the third incident of a power bank catching fire onboard an IndiGo aircraft.

The flight was operated using an Airbus A321 aircraft, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com.

IndiGo said an alternative aircraft was arranged to enable passengers to continue their journey to Chennai.

The DGCA's latest directive specifically prohibits the identified MOBIKINS model and does not, in itself, constitute a ban on all power banks.