Renews Call for Temporary Ban, But No New Restrictions For
Passengers
ALPA said in a news release Thursday that it welcomes the
DOT's advisory highlighting the safety threat lithium battery
shipments pose to aviation and urging shippers to comply with
applicable regulations, but the current rules are inadequate to
prevent onboard fires and safeguard passengers and crews. ALPA says
an immediate temporary ban on lithium battery shipments on
airliners must be enacted and enforced.
“Urging shippers to comply with inadequate regulations
won’t protect the flying public from fire risk posed by
lithium battery shipments,” said Capt. John Prater,
ALPA’s president. “Despite the recent incidents of
fires on board airliners, lithium batteries aren’t treated
like other dangerous goods, and regulations don’t exist to
ensure that training, packaging, labeling, testing, and pilot
notification meet the standards necessary for their safe
transport.”
On August 20, Capt. Prater sent a letter to Cynthia Douglass,
acting deputy administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA), calling on her to immediately issue
a temporary ban on lithium battery shipments until adequate safety
regulations can be created and enforced.
In her letter of response, Acting Deputy Administrator Douglass
stated that “Regarding your interest in an interim ban, PHMSA
and FAA have determined that the preferred outcome is a strong and
easily understood regulation such as the one in process. It makes
most sense to put our staff resources into expediting the draft
NPRM toward a final rule—the goal being a NPRM this fall and
a final rule to follow.”
“At least three new incidents involving lithium
batteries in air transportation have occurred just in the weeks
since ALPA called for the temporary ban,” said First Officer
Mark Rogers, ALPA’s dangerous goods programs director.
“It’s clear that there’s a serious risk—all
that’s needed is for one airliner to catch fire in flight to
endanger passengers, the crew, and individuals on the
ground.”
Lithium batteries power laptop computers, cell phones,
flashlights, and cameras. ALPA is not calling for new restrictions
on what passengers are permitted to bring aboard airliners but is
extremely concerned about the safety hazard posed by transporting
lithium batteries, particularly in large quantities, aboard
passenger and cargo aircraft as cargo.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Dangerous
Goods Panel is meeting in Montreal this week and has dedicated an
entire meeting day to discussing lithium batteries. ALPA, through
the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations
(IFALPA), is participating in the meeting and urges the
international aviation community to enact stronger regulations on
the transport of lithium battery shipments.
“We commend the DOT for setting an example for the world
in developing new regulations that reflect the safety risk, but
these regulations will take time to create,” concluded
Prater. “ALPA stands ready to work with PHMSA, the FAA, and
all stakeholders to position our industry to safely ship lithium
batteries aboard airliners. In the meantime, even one incident is
one too many, and an immediate temporary ban is urgently needed to
protect passengers, crews, and individuals on the
ground.”