Release #: 15.44
October 30, 2015
ALPA Renews Calls for ICAO and U.S. DOT to Safeguard the Shipment of Lithium Batteries by Air
ICAO, U.S. Congress Must Act to Protect Air Transportation
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA) is disappointed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Dangerous Goods Panel’s failure this week to recommend a ban on lithium ion battery shipments on passenger airliners until adequate safety regulations are in place.
While ALPA commends the panel for recommending that all rechargeable batteries be transported at no more than a 30 percent charge and that the combination of small packages of excepted batteries no longer be accepted, unlimited quantities of regulated lithium ion batteries on aircraft are still permitted. Because of this, ALPA is calling for an interim ban to safeguard air transportation.
“In light of the number of airliner fires that lithium batteries have either caused or intensified, the pilots’ lives lost, and the concern expressed by airlines and aircraft manufacturers, it is unacceptable that the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel did not recommend to ban their shipment by air until we have adequate regulations to ensure safety,” said Capt. Tim Canoll, ALPA’s president.
The ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel issued its recommendations today. The ICAO Air Navigation Commission will act on them at a future meeting, and the ICAO Council will ultimately make a final policy decision for the organization at a future date.
“Until ICAO develops improved packaging regulations for the shipment of lithium batteries by air that guarantee that lithium battery fires will not spread, an interim ban on shipping them on all aircraft is essential to safeguarding air transportation,” continued Capt. Canoll. ALPA was involved in the ICAO process through its membership in the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations. “We hope that ICAO will ultimately make the right decision for protecting passengers, crews, and cargo by instituting an interim ban on shipping lithium batteries by air.”
In the United States, concern is mounting about the risk of fire posed by the shipment of lithium batteries by air. In October, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would support an interim ban on all cargo shipments of lithium batteries on passenger airliners. Several U.S. airlines will no longer accept shipments of lithium-ion batteries as cargo. Both Boeing and Airbus have contacted their customers about the risk of carrying high-density shipments of lithium batteries as cargo.
In the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Congress stated that the Secretary of Transportation may exceed ICAO requirements regarding transportation of lithium batteries only when a credible report from a national or international government demonstrates that lithium batteries on an aircraft contributed to the initiation or propagation of an onboard fire.
In 2010, an all-cargo aircraft carrying more than 80,000 lithium batteries crashed near Dubai International Airport. The United Arab Emirates government’s accident investigation identified the lithium batteries onboard as contributing to the accident that resulted in the loss of both pilots’ lives.
“The findings of the investigation on the all-cargo accident near Dubai International Airport are more than adequate evidence of the risk; now Congress must act to give the Department of Transportation the authority to fully regulate all lithium batteries, including those carried aboard all-cargo aircraft,” continued Capt. Canoll. “The United States must fully regulate lithium batteries as hazardous materials and ensure that the full range of safety protections is applied to safeguard passengers, crews, and cargo.”
Founded in 1931, ALPA is the largest airline pilot union in the world and represents over 52,000 pilots at 30 U.S. and Canadian airlines. Visit the ALPA website at www.alpa.org or follow us on Twitter @WeAreALPA.
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CONTACT: ALPA Media, 703-481-4440 or Media@alpa.org