New Lithium Battery Guidelines For 2016

Effective April 1st, 2016, all lithium-ion batteries shipped as cargo are prohibited on passenger aircraft.  Per ICAO, this will be a temporary measure through at least 2018, until they adopt new packaging standards, therefore, until further notice, shipments of lithium-ion batteries are restricted to cargo aircraft only.  

This will only apply to UN 3480, Packing Instructions 965, which are lithium ion battery cells.  The prohibition does not apply to lithium ion batteries packed with equipment (UN 3481, Packing Instruction 966) and lithium ion batteries contained in equipment (UN 3481, Packing Instruction 967).  

It is also important to note that this regulation states that not more than one (1) piece prepared in accordance with Packing Instruction 965 may be shipped per shipper/consignee.  One piece is one box.  The one box cannot surpass 10 KG.  It is possible to consolidate several small boxes into one bigger box to comply with the “one piece” requirement, as long as the one piece does not go over the required weight.  

We know that this causes an inconvenience to many customers, but this is a government mandate from IATA, so airlines, shippers and forwarders must follow it.

If you currently ship cargo containing batteries via air, and are not aware of your particular UN, you may obtain a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) from your supplier with all of the Dangerous Goods information.  Our Operations Team will also be able to assist you with this: cindy-vn@vantage-logistics.com.vn