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Pilot union slams UN for failure to ban lithium battery shipments on all planes

THE US Air Line Pilots Association has described as "unacceptable" a decision by a United Nations aviation panel not to impose a ban on shipments of lithium-based batteries on all planes.

A committee of the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal took a preliminary step to ensure batteries are shipped with lower charge levels and that they are identified and packaged properly, but fell short of imposing a total ban, according to Bloomberg.

President of the US Air Line Pilots Association union, Tim Canoll, said in an e-mailed statement that the UN action was "unacceptable," because previous fires have taken down planes.

"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," he added.

The ICAO Council will make a final policy decision on the recommendation of the dangerous goods panel that voted last Friday. While most nations follow ICAO standards, they are not binding.

ICAO didn't respond to a request for comment. The pilots association participated in the debate in Montreal.

While lithium power packs have fuelled everything from Apple Inc. iPhones to electrical grids, and sales are growing rapidly, research has shown they can self-ignite, are highly flammable and can explode in some instances.

The ICAO debate pitted the electronics and energy industry against giants of the aviation industry, Boeing Co. and Airbus Group SE, which warned passenger carriers in July against carrying lithium-battery cargo shipments until new protections can be developed. The US Federal Aviation Administration weighed in earlier this month, also urging such a ban.

The action is significant for US aviation because its regulators were forbidden by Congress from enacting any rules on lithium batteries that are stricter than ICAO's standards.

Battery industry groups such as PRBA-The Rechargeable Battery Association have argued that a ban on shipments wasn't necessary if other safety steps were taken.

Three aircraft accidents in the past 10 years, two of which were fatal, have been linked to lithium batteries.

The Independent Pilots Association, which represents pilots from UPS, criticised the UN's action for failing to address cargo-only airlines. Air cargo haulers can carry more volatile, non-rechargeable lithium batteries, which have been banned on passenger flights.

"Cargo pilots' lives matter," Captain Michael Moody, chairman of the union's safety committee, said in an e-mail. "They deserve and expect the same level of safety as a passenger pilot."