IATA bans power banks over 100 Wh from 1 January 2027. What that means for 150Wh V-mounts with USB-C, the spare battery route, and how to pack for a flight.
From 1 January 2027, the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (68th edition) list power banks over 100 Wh as forbidden on passenger aircraft. Spare lithium-ion batteries between 100 and 160 Wh can still fly in your carry-on, two per person, with the airline's approval. A 150Wh V-mount with USB-C and D-Tap outputs fits both descriptions, and the agent at the check-in desk decides which one it is.
ICAO started the split on 27 March 2026, with an addendum that separated power banks from spare batteries for the first time. That addendum still let passengers carry a 100-160 Wh power bank with airline approval. Four days later IATA told airlines it would drop that option from the 68th edition, and the passenger tables IATA has published for 2027 now put "Power banks exceeding 100 Wh" on the forbidden list. National rules can lag: the UK CAA's page on the change still describes the approval route as of 8 November.
Most airlines work from IATA's Dangerous Goods Regulations, and IATA publishes a new edition every year. The 2026 edition (67th) runs until 31 December; the 68th applies from 1 January.
| Battery | Until 31 Dec 2026 | From 1 Jan 2027 (DGR 68) |
|---|---|---|
| Power bank up to 100 Wh | Carry-on only, max 2, no approval, no recharging on board (ICAO addendum) | Same (Table 2.3.B) |
| Power bank 100-160 Wh | The ICAO addendum allows it with airline approval; IATA's March guidance table already marks it forbidden | Forbidden (Table 2.3.C) |
| Spare battery up to 100 Wh | Carry-on only, up to 20 per person in IATA's March 2026 guidance | Carry-on only, up to 18 per person, airline can approve more (Table 2.3.B) |
| Spare battery 100-160 Wh | Carry-on only, max 2, airline approval | Same (Table 2.3.A) |
| Anything over 160 Wh | Not as passenger baggage, cargo only | Same |
The 18 and 20 aren't a typo on our side. IATA's March guidance says 20 spares, and the 68th edition table says 18. Plan around the lower number.
IATA explains the reasoning in its guidance to airlines: cheap power banks come from makers with little regulatory oversight, and crew power banks were already capped at 100 Wh. Spare batteries built for one piece of equipment are less attractive to counterfeiters, so IATA left their rules alone.
IATA gives two definitions in its 2026 guidance. A power bank is "an easily carried universal external power source, capable of providing power to multiple devices". Spare batteries are single cells or multi-cell packs "designed to be inserted into or directly affixed to a specific device". A V-mount locks onto a camera, monitor or light plate, which reads like the second definition. It also has a D-Tap and often a USB-C PD port that will charge a phone or laptop, which reads like the first.
Neither IATA's power bank guidance nor the 2027 tables mention V-mount, Gold Mount or NP-F batteries. None of the battery makers we checked call their V-mounts power banks either. Our reading: a check-in agent who sees "Lithium-ion Battery Pack" on the label will treat it as a spare battery, and one who sees a USB-C port and a phone cable in your bag may not.
| Points to "spare battery" | Points to "power bank" |
|---|---|
| Designed to lock onto a V-mount plate on a camera or light | USB-C PD or USB-A output that charges phones and laptops |
| Label says "Lithium-ion Battery Pack" with V, Ah and Wh | D-Tap output you can run any 12-14 V accessory from |
| Maker's documents call it a battery for professional video | Packed loose with charging cables, away from the camera |
| Travels with the camera body it powers | Marketing that calls it a "power station" or "power bank" |
Every V-mount below has a USB output. Watt-hours come from the makers' own pages, or from the label in our cover photo for the SWIT.
| Battery | Rating | Outputs | What the maker says about flying | From 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anton/Bauer Titon 90 | 92 Wh | P-Tap, 5 V USB | Carry-on "subject to the prior approval of your airline" | Under 100 Wh |
| IDX IMICRO-98P | 97 Wh | D-Tap, USB-C PD 60 W in/out | "meets the passenger aircraft carry-on limit" | Under 100 Wh |
| SWIT CIMO-98S | 98 Wh (14.4 V, 6.8 Ah) | 65 W USB-C, 150 W high load | "IATA comply" printed on the label | Under 100 Wh |
| SmallRig VB99 Pro Mini | 98.87 Wh | 2 x USB-C, USB-A, D-Tap | "Reisefreundlich" (travel-friendly) on SmallRig's German list page | Under 100 Wh |
| IDX IMICRO-150P | 145 Wh | D-Tap, USB-C PD 60 W in/out | Same "carry-on limit" line, no word on approval | Spare: 2 with approval. Power bank: forbidden |
| Anton/Bauer Titon 150 | 144 Wh (spec table) or 156 Wh (range page) | P-Tap, 5 V USB | Carry-on with prior airline approval | Spare: 2 with approval. Power bank: forbidden |
Anton/Bauer gives two different capacities for the Titon 150 on its own site. Both sit inside the 100-160 Wh band, but print the spec sheet that matches your label before you go to the airport. If a battery has no Wh figure, multiply volts by amp-hours: 14.4 V x 6.8 Ah is 97.9 Wh, which SWIT rounds to 98.
| Your kit | Read as spare batteries | Read as power banks |
|---|---|---|
| 4 x 98 Wh | All four fly, no approval | Two fly, two stay behind |
| 2 x 98 Wh | Both fly | Both fly, but you've used your power bank allowance; a phone power bank on top makes three |
| 2 x 145-156 Wh | Both fly with written airline approval | Neither flies |
| 3 x 145-156 Wh | Two with approval, the third can't fly | None fly |
| Any pack over 160 Wh | Cargo only | Cargo only |
The two-pack kit is the one people miss. If an agent counts your 98Wh V-mounts as power banks, the slim USB-C bank in your jacket pocket puts you over the limit.
Check the airline that operates each leg, not only the one that sold the ticket. IATA's tables carry a note that states and airlines can set stricter limits, and CineD's May roundup lists stricter power bank rules at Lufthansa Group, Emirates, Singapore Airlines and the big US carriers. The airline battery pages we tried for this guide (Lufthansa, ITA Airways, easyJet, Air France-KLM, British Airways) wouldn't load from our server, so read them yourself before you book.
IATA writes an industry manual. The binding text comes from ICAO and from each country's authority, and IATA's own guidance says the timing depends on each state's process: some adopt changes at once, others need legislation. EASA's passenger page on lithium batteries, last updated in July 2025, still tells you to ask the airline for anything between 100 and 160 Wh. The UK CAA page keeps the approval route for 100-160 Wh power banks. In practice the airline applies its own manual at check-in, and most airlines follow the IATA DGR. Expect the stricter rule from January even where the national page hasn't changed yet.
Drone batteries are simpler. A DJI Intelligent Flight Battery fits one drone, so it reads as a spare battery; our DJI Mini 5 Pro EU guide covers the battery options for that model.
| If you | Do this | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fly with your kit several times a year | Build the travel kit on 92-99 Wh V-mounts | No approval needed, and the power bank question only costs you if an agent counts them as power banks |
| Already own 145-156 Wh packs and fly in January | Take two at most, with written approval and the spec sheet | As spares they're legal; as power banks they're forbidden |
| Mostly drive to jobs | Keep the big packs | The 2027 change only touches air travel |
| Power a cinema rig all day abroad | Rent packs at the destination or ship them as cargo | Anything over 160 Wh can't go in passenger baggage |
| Carry a phone power bank too | Count it with your V-mounts | The limit is two power banks per person, of any size up to 100 Wh |
Our view: if you're buying V-mounts now and you fly for work, buy sub-100 Wh. You lose about a third of the runtime of a 150Wh pack, and you take the approval step and the power bank argument off the table. If you're trimming a kit for flying, the same idea as our 82mm ND filter advice applies: one size that fits everything you carry.
As a spare battery, yes: carry-on only, two per person, with the airline's approval. If the airline treats it as a power bank, no. From 1 January 2027 the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations forbid power banks over 100 Wh on passenger aircraft.
IATA doesn't say. Its guidance defines a spare battery as one designed to fit or attach to a specific device, and a power bank as a universal external source for several devices. A V-mount with USB-C and D-Tap outputs can be read either way, so the airline decides.
As spare batteries, up to 18 per person under the 68th edition table, all in carry-on and without approval. Airlines can set lower limits. If they count as power banks, the limit is two.
No. Spare lithium batteries and power banks are carry-on only at every size. A battery installed in a device can go in checked baggage under some conditions, but a loose V-mount is a spare.
Not under the IATA tables: spare batteries and power banks up to 100 Wh need no approval. Some makers, Anton/Bauer among them, still tell you to check with the airline first, and individual airlines can add their own limits.
DJI's FAQ says Pocket 3 lens accessories and the case don't fit the Pocket 4P. What carries over, what to buy new, with DJI Store prices in euros.
RØDE Capture is now on Android with Direct Connect for the Wireless Micro, GO Gen 3 and PRO. What works, what's missing for PAL shooters, and when a receiver is still better.
Blackmagic's 7th-order ambisonic mic has 108 capsules and 64 channels over USB-C, from $1,909 in December. What that means for storage, and how it compares.
Cameras & dronesNew bodies, drones, firmware updates and what they change on set.
AccessoriesLenses, gimbals, monitors, audio, lights and the gear around the camera.
LeaksRumours and leaked specs before launch, with what is confirmed and what is not.
SoftwareEditing, grading and VFX tools, and the updates worth installing.
OtherIndustry news, techniques and everything that does not fit a box.