keynote feature Facing the challenges on forbidden items


One of the biggest challenges for the air cargo industry when it comes to dangerous goods is dealing with shipments classified as ‘forbidden/forbidden’, items which cannot be flown in the bellyholds of passenger aircraft or even on freighters without obtaining special exemptions from government authorities. “Obtaining all the necessary exemptions can often take a long time, sometimes three or


four weeks,” explained Larry Coyne, chief executive officer of international cargo airline Coyne Airways, which operates regular freighter services from Western Europe into the Caspian region and Dubai into Afghanistan, as well as some charter flights. “You have to start with the countries of origination and destination and sometimes


securing those exemptions will go right the way up to deputy prime minister level. Then you have to apply for over-flight permissions from every country the aircraft is going to fly over.” While public concern over dangerous air cargo movements tends to focus on radioactive


materials, Coyne said that while some ‘forbidden/forbidden’ shipments do fall into that category, they are more likely to involve products like explosives used by industries such as mining and energy.


“There is also a recognition in the DGR 52nd edition that


some very small lithium batteries, particularly the little coin cell types, pose almost no risk to safety so the latest regulations deregulate those to a very large degree when they are inside a piece of equipment.” Expanding on that last point, Brennan added that as well being used in a huge array of consumer products, small


In that context, there are particular concerns about counterfeit batteries which can be substandard and don’t have the same engineering and quality controls in their design to make them safe for transport,” he stated. The packaging side is also important, continued Brennan.


“We have seen incidents occur because people have failed to comply with the proper packaging requirements for lithium batteries or they haven’t protected the terminals properly so you end up with a short circuit and a potential fire risk.” One looming potential complication for the international air


cargo industry when it comes to shipping lithium batteries is a move in the US to go well beyond the current international regulations and introduce additional restrictions for any such items being flown into, out of and within that country. At the time of writing, however, it was still not clear what the outcome of that move would be. “The US government put out a


lithium batteries are deployed in the temperature loggers which travel inside temperature-sensitive cargo such as pharmaceuticals to support cool/cold chain supply chain management. However, while very small lithium batteries have been


removed from the IATA DGR, batteries in general remain a major area of concern for the air transport industry and its regulators. The best way to resolve many of those concerns, suggested Brennan, is for the manufacturers and users to implement proper testing of the products.


LITHIUM BATTERIES “The key when it comes to the safety of lithium batteries, for example, really comes back to good quality control in the manufacturing process and proper full testing of the products.


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proposed set of changes which had everybody in uproar because they were seen as being hugely complicated and very expensive to implement, but what is going to happen now is a bit of an unknown. Everybody is holding their breath. It is a case of watch this space,” commented one international air cargo industry observer. Whatever happens in the


Brennan warns of “potential fire risk”


US with regard to lithium batteries, though, international regulations covering the transport by air of batteries/energy sources in general are likely to continue evolving as manufacturers develop new technologies, products and applications. One example of that likely to be addressed in the next set


of IATA DGR, due to come into effect in 2013, said Brennan, involves ultracapacitors (basically high-power mechanical batteries). A second example was cited by P Balasubramanian


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