ICAO Recommends Lithium Battery Cargo Ban for Passenger Planes

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2006 file photo, firefighters battle a blaze onboard a UPS cargo plane at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. The risk of fire is prompting federal officials to back a proposed ban on rechargeable lithium battery shipments as cargo on passenger airlines. (AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek, File)

Due to severe fire risk, shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries are no longer permitted on passenger planes.

A Montreal-based aviation agency, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), concluded Monday that as of April 1, cargo shipments of lithium batteries should not be permitted in passenger planes. The batteries, used in many consumer products, can self-ignite and cause fires capable of destroying an entire aircraft.

While this decision is not legally binding, most countries tend to follow the ICAO’s rulings. Amid preexisting concerns, many airlines have already opted out of accepting these shipments; however, there are several carriers, like KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, that oppose the ban. KLM did not respond to the Associated Press’ request for further comments.

While most lithium batteries are transported via ships, about 30 percent are sent through the air; a single cargo container can contain tens of thousands of batteries. Since 2006, battery-related fires have destroyed three cargo jets and claimed the lives of four pilots. In these incidences, the fires were either caused by the batteries or exacerbated by their presence.

U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) spokeswoman Namrata Kolachalam said that the decision was “a necessary action to protect passengers, crews, and aircraft from the current risk to aviation safety.”

Per a 2012 congressional law, the DOT was prevented from drafting shipment regulations more stringent than those of the ICAO unless it could be proven that a crash was caused by batteries. According to Representative John Mica, because the batteries are part of an international industry, they should be governed by an international standard. Given the new ruling, the DOT will now be able to work toward this larger standard.

ICAO council president Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu stated, “This interim prohibition will continue to be in force as separate work continues through ICAO on a new lithium battery packaging performance standard, currently expected by 2018.”

[Photo: In this Feb. 8, 2006 file photo, firefighters battle a blaze onboard a UPS cargo plane at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia. AP Photo/Joseph Kaczmarek]