Lithium-ion batteries banned as cargo on passenger planes

The International Civil Aviation Organisation has banned cargo shipments of lithium-ion batteries on passenger planes, which could prove frustrating for technology companies and manufacturers. Individual batteries inside your electronic devices are not a problem, but the way batteries are packed together for shipments increases the risks of an explosion. Transporting lithium-metal batteries, which are the sort that can’t be recharged (like those found in watches) has already been banned for years for similar reasons.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has warned airlines that fires from lithium batteries have the potential to take down airliners because they are so hard for on-board fire extinguishers to put out. But then the commission vowed to lift the ban if a new packaging will be developed for batteries that will provide an acceptable safety level.

The Rechargeable Battery Association said Monday that the ban, which takes effect April 1, would cause a “significant disruption in the logistics supply chain”. The prohibition is mandatory for ICAO member states, which include tests, an organization representing aircraft manufacturers – including the world’s two largest, Boeing and Airbus – said past year that airliners aren’t created to withstand lithium battery fires and that continuing to accept battery shipments is “an unacceptable risk”.

Although the United Nations agency is calling its directive a ban, it doesn’t have any authority to enforce it. Instead, that will be up to aviation regulators in each country.

Business Insider claimed that lithium ion batteries are utilized in various products, including cellphones and laptops to a few electric cars.

But one risky goods expert familiar with ICAO’s thinking questioned whether a ban on lithium-ion batteries would make passenger planes safer.

In addition to the FAA, the U.S. Transportation Department and the National Transportation Safety Board have backed the ban. Since most evidence in crashes is destroyed by fire, that’s virtually impossible to do, critics of the provision say.