Better battery packaging on planes overlooks other safety concerns: Airlines

New global packaging standards expected in late 2018 will allow lithium-ion batteries back into passenger plane cargo holds, pending design and regulatory approval, but some airlines say the new rule overlooks other safety concerns. It will reverse a 2016 suspension due to fire risks, but some airlines argue that packaging alone will not fully protect against cargo battery fires because battery shipments are sometimes mislabelled. Airlines and battery makers want jet designs to factor in better cargo fire-safety measures. Carriers have described finding packages of mislabelled lithium-ion batteries, often by shippers trying to avert the ban. It is not clear how many mislabelled battery packages are transported by air, or discovered, but carriers fear it could continue as some shippers try to avoid the anticipated higher costs of proper packaging. <br/>