On March 27, local time, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), headquartered in Montreal, Canada, put into effect new international standards for carry-on mobile batteries with built-in lithium-ion batteries.
The new standard limits the number of mobile batteries carried on board an aircraft to two per passenger and prohibits the recharging of mobile batteries during flight. The exception is crew members, who may continue to carry and use mobile batteries in accordance with aircraft operating requirements.
This review was prompted by the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel’s recommendation to revise the Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Doc 9284) in response to a series of mobile battery ignition accidents on board aircraft. Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (Doc 9284).
The amendments, with some modifications by the Civil Aviation Committee, were approved by the 36-member ICAO Council and are effective immediately. The new technical guidelines will be provided to 193 ICAO member states, including Japan.
In Japan, prior to the revision of the international standards, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism published a draft of the new standards on February 27, and is inviting public comments until March 30.
Under the new standards, partial revision of the “Notification on Standards for Transportation of Explosives by Aircraft” and the “Application of Article 194 of the Civil Aeronautics Law Enforcement Regulations and Notification on Standards for Transportation of Explosives by Aircraft” are under consideration, with application scheduled to begin in mid-April.
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