The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned commercial passenger and cargo airlines against shipping lithium batteries due to safety hazards, including the possible risk of explosion.
The agency asked airlines to carry out a safety risk assessment to deal with the danger involved in the transportation of lithium batteries such as rechargeable lithium ion batteries used in cameras, cell phones, laptop computers, and radio-controlled toys, as well as lithium polymer batteries.
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Providing a guideline to its officials, the FAA also directed them to inspect whether the airlines properly assess the risk while managing and transporting lithium batteries as cargo.
The agency said in a statement: "FAA battery fire testing has highlighted the potential risk of a catastrophic aircraft loss due to damage resulting from a lithium battery fire or explosion.
"Current cargo fire suppression systems cannot effectively control a lithium battery fire.
"As a result of those tests, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Airbus have advised airlines about the dangers associated with carrying lithium batteries as cargo, and also have encouraged them to conduct safety risk assessments."
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By GlobalDataUnder existing hazardous materials rules, passenger airlines cannot carry lithium metal batteries as cargo.
However, some large commercial passenger airlines decided not to ship rechargeable, lithium-ion batteries on their flights.
The FAA’s safety risk assessment process aims to recognise and resolve the risks posed to air carriers that still carry lithium batteries. The process also aims to help airlines that do not carry lithium batteries from inadvertently accepting them for transport.
In January, the agency issued a safety alert for operators (SAFO) in order to support airlines, which performed safety assessments and seek to re-evaluate them after new data emerged from the FAA’s recent lithium battery fire tests.
Image: Rechargeable lithium ion batteries used in cell phones can pose a risk while being flown as cargo. Photo: courtesy of adamr / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
