Delhi airport passengers learn why power banks don't go in check-in baggage. The hard way.
Authorities at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport said an unusually high number of power banks, lighters and other dangerous items in checked-in luggage affected baggage handling Thursday night, when thousands of bags were reported to have been misplaced.
But close to midnight, when the airport uploaded a brief statement on its Twitter page, its management said the situation was under control.
But before that, chaos reigned at India's busiest airport on the first evening of a four-day weekend, the news agency ANI reported.
At least two airlines, Jet Airways and Vistara, published statements urging passengers to remain patient.
But some unhappy commuters continued to tweet complaints Friday morning.
One man told Jet Airways he lost luggage with film equipment and medicine. Another said his parents, both senior citizens, were stuck in Bengaluru as they couldn't continue without their luggage, which he said was still at Delhi airport.
And here's how a Twitter user responded to the airport's statement blaming the increased presence of hazardous objects in bags: "Bulls***."
"Your staff on the airport mentioned tech failure to check in baggage," she said. "This is not the first long weekend of the century."
WHY POWER BANKS CAN'T BE CHECKED-IN
Power banks are essentially lithium batteries, which have a tendency to combust. So transporting them in cargo is prohibited.
However, they can be carried in cabin luggage.
Delhi airport authorities said the incidence of power banks and other dangerous items in checked-un luggage was 30 per cent higher than normal Thursday.