Can you fly with a power station? FAA lithium battery limits
Checked: 2026-10-25. Airlines and other countries can be stricter; check your carrier. Shipping is covered only for USPS.
The FAA numbers (US)
From FAA PackSafe, Lithium Batteries:
- Spare lithium-ion batteries and power banks must be in carry-on only, with terminals protected from short circuit.
- Lithium-ion batteries are limited to 100 Wh per battery.
- With airline approval, up to two spare larger batteries of 101–160 Wh are allowed.
- "Many airlines... may have stricter quantity and Wh limits."
- Wh = battery voltage × amp-hours.
What that means for power stations
Every pinned power station is far above 160 Wh:
| Model | Capacity | Multiple of 160 Wh |
|---|---|---|
| Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 | 1070 Wh | 6.7× |
| Anker SOLIX C1000 | 1056 Wh | 6.6× |
| EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus | 1024 Wh | 6.4× |
Under the FAA passenger limits above, these cannot travel as passenger baggage. Check Wh with the label: Jackery lists 30.4 Ah × 35.2 V = 1070 Wh.
Shipping
USPS Publication 52 limits mailable lithium-ion items to cells of 20 Wh or less and batteries of 100 Wh or less, so a ~1 kWh power station cannot be mailed through USPS under those rules. We have not covered other carriers or PHMSA ground-shipping rules; check with the carrier before shipping.
Outside the US
- IATA (2026 passenger guidance): spare lithium-ion batteries over 100 Wh up to 160 Wh need airline approval and go in carry-on only. IATA also says passengers are limited to two power banks of no more than 100 Wh, and airlines may be stricter.
- Japan (MLIT): from 24 April 2026, passengers may carry at most two power banks (each 160 Wh or less) in the cabin, may not charge them on board, and may not use them to charge other devices on board; power banks were already banned from checked baggage.
Rules in other countries are not covered; check your airline and the national aviation authority.
Sources
- FAA PackSafe, Lithium Batteries: https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/lithium-batteries (checked 2026-10-25)
- USPS Publication 52, 349 Lithium Batteries: https://pe.usps.com/text/pub52/pub52c3_028.htm (checked 2026-10-25)
- IATA, Passengers Travelling with Lithium Batteries (2026): https://www.iata.org/contentassets/6fea26dd84d24b26a7a1fd5788561d6e/passengers_travelling_with_lithium_batteries.pdf (checked 2026-10-25)
- Japan MLIT press release (2026-04-14): https://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/kouku10_hh_000310.html (checked 2026-10-25)
- Capacity sources: https://www.jackery.com/products/jackery-explorer-1000-v2 , https://www.ankersolix.com/products/c1000 , https://us.ecoflow.com/products/delta-3-plus-portable-power-station (checked 2026-10-25)
Fact-check list
- ☑ 100 Wh / 101–160 Wh / two spares from FAA page
- ☑ 30.4 × 35.2 = 1070.1 Wh check
- ☑ Multiples: 1070/160=6.7; 1056/160=6.6; 1024/160=6.4
- ☑ USPS 20 Wh cell / 100 Wh battery limit from Pub 52
- ☑ IATA and Japan MLIT rules from official documents
- ☐ Other carriers (UPS/FedEx), PHMSA and other countries: not covered; guide makes no claim