November 16, 2025 | 08:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three Taiwanese airlines have banned passengers from carrying wireless earbuds or Bluetooth speakers along with their charging cases, including Apple Airpods, in their checked luggage. The same prohibition also applies to airlines in New Zealand.
The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand stated that passengers are allowed to bring non-wireless earbuds and AirPods in their carry-on baggage. "They must not go in check-in luggage under any circumstances," the authority said in a statement, as reported by The Mirror.
The same reasoning is also applied by Eva Air, Uni Air, and Tigerair Taiwan. According to Taipei Times, Bluetooth earbuds and their charging cases are categorized as portable electronic devices that must be turned off if placed in checked luggage, as per international aviation safety regulations. These devices should not be in standby or sleep mode.
However, since charging will continue when earbuds are placed inside their charging cases, which would violate international aviation regulations, the cases should be carried as cabin baggage, they said.
Incident Triggered by Power Bank
As reported by Travel and Leisure, the ban was triggered by a number of flight incidents involving lithium batteries. The most recent incident, although not on an aircraft, occurred in October 2025, when 150 passengers were evacuated from the Qantas business lounge at Melbourne International Airport after an overheated power bank caught fire, filling the lounge with smoke. Just a few weeks earlier, an Air China flight had to take emergency action when a lithium battery inside a carry-on bag caught fire in the overhead compartment.
Power banks were identified as the main cause of several noteworthy incidents in 2025, including those involving Air Busan and JetBlue. Other devices using lithium batteries (mobile phones, laptops, e-cigarettes, and subsequently, earbud charging cases) were also associated with aviation safety concerns during flights or before boarding aircraft.
An incident directly related to earbuds occurred on January 27, 2021, according to US regulations cited by Travel and Leisure. It was mentioned that a pair of earbuds, while being charged inside the aircraft, started to emit smoke. The incident was quickly addressed.
Starlux Airlines, China Airlines, and Mandarin Airlines do not have regulations governing the shipment of earbuds and their charging cases. However, Starlux stated that portable electronic devices placed in checked luggage must be turned off at all times during the flight. Passengers should also ensure that the battery specifications meet international standards.
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