Airlines need tough rules to stop battery fires: Global advisory group
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(Reuters) — An advisory panel has recommended tightening restrictions on bulk shipments of lithium batteries via commercial airplanes, after a fiery crash that pointed to the risks of the volatile batteries on board aircraft.
The group, which advises the International Civil Aviation Organization, a United Nations agency, suggested among other measures that fire detection systems be reassessed to see if they respond quickly enough, and that bulk shipments of the batteries be limited in size and placed in cargo compartments with the best fire-suppression ability.
It also recommended that aircraft manufacturers and regulators consider new aircraft designs that reduce fire risk from the batteries, which are used in a wide array of consumer electronics.
The recommendations would require ICAO action to take effect, a process that could take years. The U.S. Department of Transportation currently restricts shipments of lithium batteries by air and earlier this year tightened the regulations.
The failure to contain fires caused by volatile lithium technology can lead to loss of control of an airplane. In July 2010, a Boeing Co. 747 cargo plane operated by United Parcel Service Inc. crashed in Dubai after a shipment of batteries caught fire, an investigation found. Two people died in the crash.
The recommendations emerged from a meeting of the panel in Cologne, Germany, in September, and were published on Oct. 1 by ICAO.
The issue is not directly connected to Boeing’s decision to use lithium-based batteries as power sources on its 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The 787 aircraft type was grounded for three months last year after two batteries overheated in separate incidents. Boeing redesigned the battery, charger and containment system to better protect against fire.
ICAO could not be reached for comment due to a holiday in Canada. Boeing was not immediately available for comment. The Wall Street Journal originally reported on the recommendations.
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