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minister Keir Mather briefly became the youngest MP after winning the Selby by-election in 2023 at the age of 25 and is now the youngest minister since 1834. Mather has experience as a


Parliamentary researcher and in public affairs and was on the Treasury Select Committee for six months before becoming a party whip for two. He has shown no recorded interest in transport other than voting for the railways to be publicly owned. A senior aviation source


noted of his appointment: “It’s the nature of things in government. PMs need to bring forward new talent and someone has to give way.” Tourism minister Stephanie


Peacock, MP for Barnsley South, has more experience having been in the Commons since 2017 and minister for sport, media, civil society and youth at the Department for Culture (DCMS) for 14 months. Her appointment returns tourism to its position at DCMS prior to last year. Peacock, a former teacher,


was also shadow DCMS minister for two years up to the general election and a shadow defence minister and shadow environment minister prior to that. UKinbound chief executive


Joss Croft hailed Bryant as “a consistent supporter of the sector” but welcomed Peacock to “this vitally important position”, noting: “Her appointment comes at a pivotal moment as the government prepares to launch its new tourism strategy.” On an official visit to Weston-


super-Mare on Monday, Peacock insisted the government remains “committed to building to welcome 50 million international visitors a year by 2030”.


US aviation body warns of lithium battery dangers


Ian Taylor


The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a ‘safety alert’ warning airlines of the dangers of lithium batteries in mobile devices this month amid an increase in fires on aircraft. Mobile phones, laptops and power


banks are among the devices with batteries that can launch a shower of sparks if overheating and ignite a fire, with the FAA reporting 50 battery- related incidents on aircraft in the US up to August this year alone. It urged carriers to “consider


the hazard posed by the stowage of lithium batteries in areas not visible or easily accessible”, noting: “Lithium batteries in overhead bins and/or in carry-on baggage may be obscured, difficult to access or not monitored by passengers or crew.” As a result, the FAA warned:


“Detection of ‘thermal runaway’ [overheating] and firefighting


Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines


and subsidiary Scoot, Korean Airlines, China Airlines, Thai Airways, Eva Air and Air Busan (South Korea) are among a growing number of carriers to ban use of power banks. A fire destroyed an aircraft on


Mobile devices pose inflight risk


measures may be delayed, increasing the risk to safety.” It further warned: “Use of halon


extinguishers can briefly suppress open flames. However, they do not halt the thermal runaway process.” Dousing a battery fire requires “large amounts of water”. Southwest Airlines recently


became the first major US carrier to require portable chargers and power banks be kept “in plain sight” on flights. However, restrictions on lithium batteries and power banks are increasing around the world.


the ground in Singapore in March; a Korean Airlines flight had to make a rapid descent and emergency landing because of a fire in January; and an Air Busan aircraft was engulfed by flames before take-off, also in January. Iata senior vice-president for


safety Nick Careen acknowledged the risks in June, saying: “We need to educate customers.” The FAA recommended airlines


review how they manage lithium battery risks, improve emergency training, enforce the exclusion of lithium batteries from checked baggage and ensure chargers and power banks are kept visible on flights. It also urged carriers to review their safety messages to passengers.


Air India faces legal action over June flight crash


Families of victims of the Air India disaster in June launched legal action against Boeing and aircraft parts supplier Honeywell in the US last week, accusing the companies of negligence. They allege the disaster was


due to faulty fuel switches on the Air India Boeing 787 and accuse the companies of being aware of


46 25 SEPTEMBER 2025


the risks but doing “nothing”. The Gatwick-bound flight crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people – 229 passengers, 12 crew and 19 on the ground. Investigators are focused on the


fuel switches after a preliminary inquiry by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) found fuel to the engines was cut off moments after the aircraft took off. The US Federal Aviation


Administration (FAA) insisted the fuel control switches on the 787 are safe in July. However, the AAIB noted a 2018 FAA advisory to airlines to inspect the fuel


Travel Weekly, 17 July 2025


switch-locking mechanism on some Boeing aircraft to ensure it could not move accidentally. The families allege this amounts to a design defect which the companies did not address. Neither Boeing nor Honeywell would comment.


travelweekly.co.uk


Shutterstock/Armmy Picca


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