Flying safer
Increased incidents of lithium-ion battery-induced fires during air travel present a formidable challenge, tackling which should be a shared responsibility
Whenever you travel, one of the major concerns is to keep your mobile or laptop fully charged. You will always look for power outlets to charge these lithium-ion battery-powered devices at airports or railway stations, or inside aircraft and trains. While lithium batteries power these products we use daily, they can be dangerous on an aircraft or a train if not packed properly. They can catch fire if the batteries are damaged or battery terminals are short-circuited. That is why the airlines and airport staff insist, and rules direct, that devices containing lithium batteries, such as smartphones, tablets, cameras and laptops, should be kept in the carryons and not inside the checked baggage. Even e-cigarettes or vaping devices, now banned by many airlines and government agencies, and some types of heart pacemakers, contain these batteries. These devices have to be placed in the carryon bags because smoke or fire incidents involving lithium batteries can be mitigated by the cabin crew and passengers inside the aircraft cabin, but can go unnoticed if they are in the cargo hold even though there are sensors.
Fire incidents involving these batteries have caused a large number of accidents and incidents, including catastrophic air crashes, flight diversions and emergency landings. There has been an alarming rise in the number of smoke and fire incidents on airlines from malfunctioning lithiumion batteries brought by passengers, causing concern among safety and aviation experts. The growing popularity of air travel has led to a heavy rush of passengers. This means, that more mobiles, laptops and other battery-powered devices are being transported by air, rail or road. And that leads to more risk. On average, a single flight may contain over a hundred Li-ion cells in phones and laptops and many rechargeable devices. In the largest aviation market of North America, such fires are now occurring once every 10 days on a flight somewhere in the US.
Passengers have a large role to play in preventing these fires. The first step is to follow the official guidelines regarding the transport of batteries and battery-powered devices on flights. Spare Li-ion batteries should not be stored loose in checked luggage but packed in the carry-on bag. The electrical terminals should be taped or otherwise protected to keep the battery from coming into contact with any stray metal devices which could cause a short circuit. In case your device starts to heat up, the flight crew should be notified immediately. Then, but only if allowed by them, calmly move away from the burning device and let the crew do their job, aviation experts say. There are many such detailed guidelines recommended by the US FAA and the global airlines body, International Air Transport Association (IATA), regarding the carriage of Liion batteries by air. Airlines and airports should make their customers aware of these rules and regulations. Though airline crews are trained to handle onboard emergencies, battery fires can be complicated, difficult and dangerous to cope with, a senior pilot said, adding that a Li-ion battery contains volatile chemicals. The FAA has identified power banks, cell phone battery charging cases, rechargeable and nonrechargeable lithium batteries, cell phone batteries, laptop batteries, power banks, external batteries, portable rechargers, besides spare (uninstalled) lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries, which must be carried in carry-on baggage only. The list also covers spare batteries for personal electronics. These bodies have also set detailed limits on the size and quantity of Li-ion batteries that can be carried by a passenger. Besides carrying specific equipment in-flight to fight fire accidents, the FAA guidelines instruct flight crews on how to handle a Li-ion battery fire in stages or deal with a burning battery inside large devices like laptops. A lithium battery fire also releases an ether-based vapour that is highly flammable.
Industry figures show that the demand for lithium batteries is growing by 30 per cent annually and with it, the risk of incidents involving them is also rising. Despite heightened safety precautions, the number of such incidents should be checked, but that seems not to be the case. Global aviation organisations like International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have already laid out restrictive rules for the carriage of such batteries and battery-powered devices. IATA has urged governments across the world for stricter enforcement and stiffer penalties for rogue lithium battery shippers. It has also called for the development of specific standards and processes by governments to support the safe transport of lithium batteries, like those that exist for air cargo security, to “help provide an efficient process for compliant shippers of lithium batteries. These standards and processes must be outcomebased and globally harmonised.” It has also sought the development and implementation of a fire-testing standard to address lithium battery fire containment. Currently, there are no specific globallyaccepted standards to provide proper (battery-caused) fire protection in aircraft systems. IATA has also called for stepping up safety data collection and its sharing between governments and with the aviation industry to help manage lithium battery risks effectively. Airlines, shippers, manufacturers and governments — all want to ensure the safe transport of lithium batteries by air. This has to be a joint responsibility. There are areas where the leadership of governments is critical. Stronger enforcement of existing regulations and the criminalisation of abuses will send a strong signal to rogue shippers of lithium batteries. Accelerated development of technical standards for screening, information exchange and fire containment will give the industry more effective tools to work with in containing the challenges posed by these batteries, which have become an essential part of life today.
Views expressed are personal
Passengers need to follow the existing official guidelines regarding the transport of batteries and batterypowered devices like mobile phones, laptops, e-cigarettes, heart pacemakers etc. on flights