The ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel held a meeting in Montreal on Lithium Metal Batteries. The proposed banning of such batteries on passenger aircraft was accepted but will not include those packed with or contained in equipment or those carried by passengers in the cabin of the aircraft. There was concern on how to get the essential batteries to locations that were only serviced by passenger aircraft. To meet these needs a special provision A201 was adopted. This provision states that a shipment of lithium metal batteries may be transported only with prior approval from both the appropriate authority of the State of Origin and the State of the Operator under written conditions established by those authorities. Authorities issuing these approvals must provide a copy to the Chief of the Dangerous Goods Section within three months of issuance.
The Air Navigation Commission is expected to approve this decision during their scheduled meeting later this month. As of now the effective date is January 1, 2015 but that date could change depending on how the discussions proceed at the upcoming ANC meeting.
Read the ICAO Lithium Battery Meeting Report
