IATA says transporting lithium batteries risky; calls for remedy

In March 2022, Qatar Airways diverted a New Delhi-Doha passenger flight to Karachi following the detection of smoke in the cargo hold. The incident is thought to have been caused by lithium batteries. Unless remedial action is taken, the risk caused by the transport of lithium batteries will only increase, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

It added that regulations cannot match the pace of development of these batteries, and suggested various processes to mitigate the danger of lithium batteries. “This issue is not getting the attention it deserves,” said Andres Bianchi, CEO, LATAM Cargo, at the 78th IATA AGM in Doha recently. “It is my first concern from a safety perspective.”

Here to stay

“Transportation of lithium batteries is truly emerging as a major concern for air operators. At the same time, we need to recognise and accept that lithium batteries are bound to stay since its scope of use and convenience is expanding as the days pass by. Probably soon, our homes and offices may have UPS inverters that may be supported by lithium batteries,” said B Govindarajan, COO of Chennai-based aviation consultancy firm Tirwin, who has been associated with transportation of hazardous materials for more than four decades.

Aviation regulators, in association with lithium batteries’ manufacturers, are constantly trying to understand the challenges under different conditions and introducing changes in regulations to ensure safe transportation of lithium batteries by air, he said.

With India’s ambitious plans to go in for electric vehicles’ manufacturing, it is time to create greater awareness for the entire community, including manufacturers, packers, logistics providers and vehicle drivers, about the dos and don’ts related to lithium batteries, Govindarajan said.

Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA | Photo Credit: IMAD CREIDI

Creating awareness

Creating awareness on lithium batteries across various stakeholders, including passengers, is important, according to IATA. The lithium battery market is growing 30 per cent annually, bringing many new shippers into air cargo supply chains. But, compliance with existing regulations is difficult as they are complex and can be hard to understand. There needs to be better protective measures if there is a lithium battery incident. Airlines need to know they can contain a fire involving lithium batteries loaded into aircraft cargo compartments. Fire-resistant aircraft containers, fire containment covers for aircraft pallets, and fire containment bags are all possibilities. The development and implementation of a fire-testing standard is vital. Governments must develop a testing standard for fires involving lithium batteries that can be used to evaluate supplementary protection measures over and above the existing cargo compartment fire suppression systems, IATA said.

“Airlines, shippers, manufacturers and governments all want to ensure the safe transport of lithium batteries by air. It’s a joint responsibility. Stronger enforcement of existing regulations and the criminalisation of abuses will send a strong signal to rogue shippers. And the accelerated development of standards for screening, information exchange and fire containment will give the industry even more effective tools to work with,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.