Doha

Qatar Airways has announced a ban on battery-powered personal vehicles commonly known as hoverboards on all aircraft as it continues to put the safety of passengers and crew first.

Effective immediately, the ban applies to all small vehicles powered by lithium batteries as both checked-in baggage and as cabin baggage on all Qatar Airways flights.

The ban applies regardless of the watt-hour rating of the lithium battery, the airline has said in a statement.

Qatar Airways senior vice-president for group safety and security, Ashish Jain, said: “Qatar Airways has taken this responsible and necessary step as passenger and crew safety remains our utmost concern.

"Recent reports and new evidence has led to our decision to add hoverboards to our list of restricted items. Therefore, we would like to notify passengers ahead of the busy travel season to ensure that no one is left unawares.

"Our priority is the safety of our passengers and staff; as such, we cannot accept these items as either checked-in baggage or carry-on.”

Some examples of these small lithium battery-powered vehicles are airwheel, solowheel, hoverboard, mini-segway and balance wheel.

Qatar Airways is implementing the ban immediately due to concerns regarding the questionable quality of such items and the potential fire hazard associated with their batteries, the statement notes.

The airline has urged passengers to review the list of restricted items on its website before travelling to ensure a stress-free and smooth check-in process. Due to international regulations, and to ensure the safety of customers, there are a number of restrictions on items that can be carried in baggage.

More information can be found at http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/restricted-baggage.page

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