As of March 13, 2025, Air Astana Group will be tightening regulations surrounding the transport of lithium batteries and battery-powered devices in an effort to improve flight safety.

The current rules state that spare batteries, including power banks and electronic smoking devices, are allowed exclusively in carry-on baggage, and in the event the baggage needs to be checked-in, passengers must remove all batteries in advance.

A lithium battery could pose a serious safety risk for an aircraft if it overheated and caught on fire, which could happen due to the lack of pressurisation in the hold where checked luggage goes and would be very hard to control or put out.

The airline group has now limited the maximum allowable battery capacity for hand-luggage to 100Wh with two devices per person. It also ruled that batteries with a capacity between 100Wh and 160Wh can only be transported with the airline’s prior approval, and batteries exceeding 160Wh will be prohibited.

The capacity of batteries will be verified and batteries transported without the proper certification of capacity markers will be prohibited.

The airline has clarified that lithium batteries, external batteries, and electronic smoking devices may only be kept in carry-on luggage and placed in the luggage racks in the cabin, and any use of them to charge other devices on-board is also forbidden.

With these new regulations being instituted, Air Astana Group advises its passengers to review the battery transport regulations before any trips in order to ensure passenger safety and avoid unnecessary disruptions.