UN panel approves temporary ban to battery shipments on airlines due to fire risks

A UN panel already approved the idea that the shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries be banned from passenger airliners since the batteries may create fires capable of destroying planes. But then the commission vowed to lift the ban if a new packaging will be developed for batteries that will provide an acceptable safety level.

According to Yahoo! News, the ruling made by the International Civil Aviation Organization's top-level governing body is not compulsory, but most countries are following the agency's requirements. "This interim prohibition will continue to be in force as separate work continues through ICAO on a new lithium battery packaging performance standard, currently expected by 2018," stated Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, ICAO council president.

A spokeswoman to the U.S. Transportation Department, Namrata Kolachalam, also called the ban an essential move. She claimed that the decision is necessary in order to protect the aircraft passengers, crews, and aircrafts from the ongoing risk to aviation safety.

Business Insider claimed that lithium ion batteries are utilized in various products, including cellphones and laptops to a few electric cars. Around 5.4 billion cells were reported to be manufactured globally in 2014 and that majority of these batteries are transported on cargo ships, and some are shipped on airplanes.

However, safety concerns start to arise after the recent Federal Aviation Administration tests conveyed that gases emitted by overheated lithium batteries can build up in cargo containers. This will eventually lead to explosions, which are capable of tearing apart the airline fire suppression systems, as reported by ABC NEWS.

But despite its threat to aviation vessels, airlines flying to and from the U.S. that carry 26 million passengers yearly still accept lithium battery shipments, the Federal Aviation Administration revealed. The commission also explained that batteries packed insider equipments like laptops with batteries inside are exempted from the ban.

Meanwhile, a lot of airline companies have already voluntarily agreed to the ban of the battery shipments while others still oppose on the idea. The battery industry officials also left no comment regarding the decision to ban the batteries on passenger planes.

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