U.S.
issues new rules barring lithium batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft
Large U.S. carriers already voluntarily comply with requirements set by the
International Civil Aviation Organization.
A lithium-ion battery sits
inside a smartphone sold as an Apple Inc. iPhone 4S in an arranged photograph
in Hong Kong, China, on Jan. 11, 2014.Brent Lewin / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The U.S. government said on Wednesday it is issuing new rules barring airlines
from carrying potentially hazardous lithium-ion cells and batteries as cargo on
passenger aircraft, and setting new requirements for transporting them on cargo
planes.
The U.S. Transportation Department's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) unveiled the new rules after Congress last year ordered
the agency to complete them by early 2019. The agency is adopting requirements
that have been force in other countries since 2016.
Large U.S. carriers already voluntarily comply with requirements that were
adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the U.N. aviation
agency, that took effect in April 2016, PHMSA said.
President Donald Trump's administration will require lithium-ion cells and
batteries to be generally shipped with a state of charge of no more than 30
percent on cargo aircraft.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said under certain conditions lithium
batteries could result in smoke or fire. A battery fire could exceed the
capabilities of an aircraft's fire suppression system and lead to a
catastrophic failure, it said.
PHMSA said it was finalizing the rules on an expedited basis to address
"an immediate safety hazard."
The rules do not restrict passengers or crew members from bringing personal
items or electronic devices containing lithium cells or batteries aboard
aircraft, or restrict cargo planes from transporting lithium-ion cells or
batteries at a state of charge exceeding 30 percent when packed with or
contained in equipment or devices.
Lithium-ion batteries are increasingly common as production has grown to more
than 7 billion cells in 2017 from about 3 billion cells in 2007, the
administration said.
A 2015 working paper by a group representing plane makers including Boeing Co said
current firefighting systems were not adequate to "suppress or extinguish
a fire involving significant quantities of lithium batteries."
U.S. regulators identified 39 incidents in air cargo transportation between
2010 and 2016, with 13 involving lithium batteries and smoke, fire, extreme
heat, or explosion that would have been affected by the new rules. In one
instance, packages of lithium ion cells were found smoldering in an aircraft
unit load device during unloading, suggesting the initial thermal runaway
likely occurred while the shipment was on the aircraft.
The agency also noted three aircraft accidents in 2007, 2010 and 2011 linked to
lithium ion batteries transported as cargo as either the cause or a factor that
increased the severity of the fire. Those accidents resulted in the complete
loss of all three aircraft and four lives.
PHMSA said it will allow a limited exception for up to two lithium batteries
used for medical devices to be transported on passenger aircraft, and at a
state of charge higher than 30 percent, for remote areas like Alaska that do
not have regular cargo service.
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