ICAO addresses risks of transport of Lithium Ion batteries on aircraft
Last Update: February 23, 2016 / 14:51:55 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 23, 2016
Classification
News
Following recommendations from the 25th meeting of the Dangerous Goods Panel (DGP/25), Montréal, 19 to 30 October 2015, the ICAO Council has approved amendments to the 2015-2016 edition of the Technical Instructions for lithium ion batteries to be transported at a reduced State of charge (30%), and there will be limits on the number of packages of batteries excepted from full requirements in any one consignment.
These changes will be effective from 1 April 2016. There has been extensive discussion on the risks associated with the carriage of lithium ion batteries as cargo, with particular emphasis on cargo on passenger aircraft. These risks include:
a) the inability of cargo compartment fire protection systems to suppress or extinguish a fire involving significant quantities of lithium batteries;
b) the inability to establish an absolute safe quantity limit for lithium ion batteries because of the number of variables that contribute to the degree of risk posed by different battery or cell chemistries, sizes, design types and quantities being transported;
c) the lack of a mechanism to identify and communicate the specific hazards and safety risks associated with each battery and cell type offered for transport to the operator;
d) the lack of transparency with regard to batteries excepted from full regulation making it impossible or impractical for operators to accurately determine the quantities of batteries carried as cargo; and
e) the absence of a packaging standard to mitigate the risks.
The Workshop will be of considerable benefit to those Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) personnel delegated oversight authority for dangerous goods (either as dangerous goods or operations inspectors), as well as those delegated authority to prevent the introduction of hazards into the aviation system. The Workshop will also include a review of the discussion in the DGP, the Flight Operations Panel (FLTOPSP), the Airworthiness Panel (AIRP) and the recommendations by the ANC to the Council.
The invitation follows the report of the 25th meeting of the "Dangerous Goods Panel", short DGP25, that was issued on Oct 30th 2015.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Feb 23, 2016
Classification
News
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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