New DG regs restrict number of electronic devices on planes

The International Air
Transportation Association
(Iata) has introduced
new measures in its latest
Dangerous Goods Regulations
(DGR) to reduce the risk of
carrying lithium batteries on
passenger and cargo planes. If
they overheat, they carry a fire
risk on board.
Coming into force on
January 1 next year, changes
to the regulations will restrict
passengers and crew from
travelling with more than 15
portable electronic devices
(PEDs), and to a maximum
of 20 spare batteries.
Furthermore, a significant
change will be the packaging of
lithium batteries as cargo.
Dave Brennan, Iata assistant
director, cargo, safety and
standards, says the new
restrictions were necessary
to minimise the risk caused
by having too many lithium
batteries on board.
“When we fly a lot of us have
a laptop, tablet, a phone, even
two phones, and that’s quite
reasonable,” he pointed out.
“But what we are seeing is
people flying to different parts
of the world – where they can
buy PEDs very cheaply – and
they’ll maybe purchase 20 or
more devices.
“They might think, ‘I’ll keep
one and sell the other 19’. You
could even get someone flying
to Hong Kong
and buying
about 100
phones.
“For that
reason the
Dangerous
Goods Board
– which is
made up of
representatives
from 12 Iata
member
airlines – decided we needed to
apply a limit.”
The revisions around cargo
packing prevent lithium
batteries from being packed
with other dangerous
goods, such
as flammable
liquids, solids,
and gases.
General
manager for
Professional
Aviation
Services
(PAS), David
Alexander,
told FTW
that because
of the increasing demand
for lithium batteries,
billions of batteries were
shipped annually on cargo
and passenger aircraft. “It
is estimated that lithium
batteries are present in
more than 20% of cargo
shipments,” he said.
Lithium batteries are
classified into a Class 9
dangerous goods category
which requires proper
packaging, labelling and
supporting documentation.
“We believe these new
measures are a step forward
in improving safety,” Brennan
explained, noting that for Iata
the main challenge was in
ensuring the regulations were
adopted across the industry.
INSERT & CAPTION
The new restrictions
are necessary to
minimise the risk.
– Dave Brennan