IATA Changes to the Provisions for the Transport of Lithium Batteries (April 1, 2016)
Effective April 1, 2016, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) will make the following changes to the provisions for the transport of lithium batteries.
All stand-alone lithium ion batteries (UN3480, P. I. 965) must be shipped at a state of charge (SoC) not exceeding 30% of their rated design capacity.
- Stand-alone lithium ion batteries (UN3480, P. I. 965, Section II), at an SoC greater than 30% are not permitted.
- Stand-alone lithium ion batteries (UN3480, P. I. 965, Section IA and IB) (acceptable to dangerous goods locations only), at an SoC greater than 30% may only be shipped with written approvals by the State of Origin and the State of the Operator.
Stand-alone lithium ion batteries (UN 3480, PI 965, Section IA, IB and Section II) are forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft.
Only one package of stand-alone lithium ion batteries (UN 3480 PI 965, Section II) and stand-alone lithium metal batteries (UN 3090 PI 968, Section II) may be included in any overpack or single consignment. There is also a limit of 8 cells or 2 batteries per overpack.
- When the package is placed in an overpack, the lithium battery handling label and Cargo Aircraft Only label required by this packing instruction must either be clearly visible or the label must be affixed on the outside of the overpack, and the overpack must be marked with the word “Overpack”
Packages prepared according to Section II of PI 965 and PI 968 must be offered to the operator separately from other cargo and must not be loaded into a unit load device (ULD) before being offered to the operator.
Due to airline restrictions and government regulations, some countries are not available as origins or destinations for certain lithium battery shipments. Please contact Customer Service for information on these service limitations.
This prohibition impacts all FedEx Express international services including FedEx International Priority (IP), FedEx International Economy (IE), FedEx International Economy Freight (IEF), FedEx International Priority Freight (IPFS), FedEx International Premium, FedEx International Express Freight (IXF) and FedEx International Airport to Airport (ATA).
This restriction generally does not apply to lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries packed with equipment or contained in equipment.
Further information regarding IATA regulations on lithium batteries can be found here.
If a shipment inadvertently is transported to a prohibited destination country, it will become “undeliverable” and will be returned to the shipper/sender when possible, following standard procedure. The shipper will be charged for:
- transportation to the destination country
- transportation from the destination country
- any customs duties & taxes FedEx has already been assessed by destination customs for the shipment.