Dubai: Undeclared Lithium-Batteries Pose Increasing Threat To Aircraft, Lives, Warns Iata

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has on Tuesday called for stopping rogue shippers because too many lithium battery shipments enter the system undeclared or mis-declared which put aircraft and lives at risk.

“Civil aviation authorities must take firm enforcement action against non-compliant shippers. And we need governments to actively support the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) for the safe transport of dangerous goods by air,” Brendan Sullivan, global head of cargo at Iata, said during the 18th World Cargo Symposium.

“Shipments of lithium batteries continue to surge. More and more people are using devices powered by lithium batteries, with ever-increasing amounts of stored energy - in addition to phones, cameras and tablets, we are seeing bigger batteries in power tools, e-bikes, and drones . As those shipments increase in number, the number of incidents or potential incidents will rise unless we are even more vigilant. We must step up our efforts even further,” Sullivan added.

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Millions of lithium batteries are transported by cargo and passenger aircraft globally due to their extensive use in gadgets and sports equipment.

Iata has developed guidance to help airlines and supply chain partners manage the incendiary device threat - guidance that was endorsed across the industry.

“We urge states to live up to their obligations, to share baseline factual threat information so that airlines can assess risks and respond effectively.”

Highlighting an example, he said that during a routine inspection at a cargo terminal in East Asia, the air waybill listed“mobile phone accessories” which is nothing out of the ordinary. But one package caught an inspector's attention as it contained damaged, undeclared lithium batteries. The successful intervention of the inspector stopped a serious safety risk, that was just hours away from being loaded onto an aircraft.

He credited training provided to the inspector who successfully managed to avoid the disaster.

Highlighting the importance of global air cargo, he said on an average day, 180,000 tonnes of goods reach their destination by air. “This is the lifeblood of global trade - driving growth, creating jobs, and spreading prosperity.”

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