India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has banned power banks from hand baggage, checked baggage and cargo on flights operating within, from or to India, prompting Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) to prohibit passengers from carrying them on any of its flights between Nepal and India. The restriction includes the MOBIKING MK-PB-04 model and applies across the airline’s Nepal-India services, according to the reported notice.
What the restriction covers
The DGCA circular, as cited by Nepal Airlines, covers power banks in every baggage category named in the notice: cabin hand baggage, checked baggage and cargo. That means the restriction is not limited to items passengers carry with them into the aircraft cabin. Power banks are also barred if packed in luggage handed over for the hold or included as cargo on flights within, from or to India.
NAC has adopted the restriction for all of its flights between Nepal and India. Passengers travelling on those services are therefore not permitted to carry power banks, regardless of whether they intended to keep one in a bag in the cabin or place it in checked luggage. The airline has also specifically named the MOBIKING MK-PB-04 model, but the announcement describes a ban on power banks generally, not just on that product.
What passengers travelling with Nepal Airlines need to know
For travellers, the central point is the route and the item: power banks cannot be taken on Nepal Airlines flights between the two countries. The rule applies to all NAC flights on those routes, rather than being limited to a particular departure or arrival. Moving a power bank from hand baggage to checked baggage does not avoid the restriction, because both forms of passenger baggage are covered.
The restriction also extends to cargo on flights covered by the DGCA circular. The notice therefore sets out a wider prohibition than a cabin-only rule. Passengers should not assume that a power bank can be carried simply because it is packed away from the cabin, or that the named MOBIKING model is the only affected device. NAC’s announcement, as reported by Rajdhani Daily, links the airline’s decision to the Indian regulator’s circular.
Scope of the airline’s decision
The DGCA’s stated scope covers flights operating within India as well as flights travelling to or from the country. Nepal Airlines has communicated the restriction for its own services connecting Nepal and India. The information provided does not state that NAC has extended the same rule to its other international or domestic routes, so the announced measure should be understood in relation to its flights between the two countries.
The reports do not specify how the ban will be enforced at airports, whether any exceptions are available, or what passengers should do with a power bank discovered during travel. They also do not provide a separate list of affected brands or models. What is clear from the circular as described by NAC is that power banks are prohibited in hand baggage, checked baggage and cargo for the covered flights, and that all Nepal Airlines services between Nepal and India are included.
Travellers preparing for a Nepal-India journey with NAC should take the restriction into account before packing. The airline’s notice does not distinguish between power banks by capacity or manufacturer; it identifies the MOBIKING MK-PB-04 as an included model while setting out a general prohibition. Passengers who need clarification about the rule or their travel arrangements should check directly with Nepal Airlines, since the published reports do not provide further operational details.
