The banning order against shipments of stand-alone freight of rechargeable lithiumion batteries on Cathay Pacific Cargo flights has been lifted, the airline has reported. The news comes after the airline introduced a “fire containment bag” it says can hold freight of between 30kg and 50kg. Cathay Cargo’s products manager, Alex Leung, told the air freighter’s customer magazine that the bags “have been thoroughly tested and meet our stringent safety requirements”. Previously, the ban set a benchmark standard for competing carriers after Cathay placed a blank refusal on standalone shipments of lithium-ion batteries, excluding those used in electronic goods carried on board. Leung has also been quoted saying: “In the event of a battery combusting, the bags limit the fire’s supply of oxygen, while letting smoke escape to trigger the aircraft’s smoke detectors.” However, use of the bags still require thorough declaration by shippers of battery types as the bags are not certified to carry non-rechargeable lithiumion metal batteries.
