AirBridgeCargo Airlines said it had become the first airline to receive this type of approval in China ‘after two years of preliminary works, testing, and close collaboration with stakeholders’.
International freighter operator AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has successfully obtained approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for commercial transportation of lithium batteries weighing over 35 kgs, which are commonly addressed as SP (Special Provision) A99 under aviation dangerous goods safety rules, governed by ICAO’s Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air.
The Russian cargo airline, part of Volga-Dnepr Group, said it has become “the first airline to receive this type of approval in China after two years of preliminary works, testing, and close collaboration with stakeholders”.
The first commercial shipment of 113kg was launched on 20 October 20 from Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) to Frankfurt (FRA), for one of the biggest lithium battery (LB) manufacturers in China – Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.
ABC highlighted that lithium batteries were becoming an integral part of a variety of finished products – from consumer electronics to sophisticated equipment, for example electric vehicles (EVs) – “which leads to a gross weight increase of each battery. With China being the home for major lithium battery manufacturers, there have been disruptions in effective logistics, and most customers tended for sea freight”, it noted.
“The CAAC approval will enable ABC to leverage the growing demand for transportation of SP A99, offering logistic solutions to its existing customers and gaining new ones.”
The carriage of lithium batteries by air has been the subject of much safety scrutiny and increasing restrictions following various examples of spontaneous fires in lithium battery shipments, including at least two cases in which they are believed to have resulted in fatal crashes of aircraft. Although air cargo dangerous goods specialists often argue that the problem is more one of undeclared shipments or rogue manufacturers, bulk shipments of lithium batteries have been banned for some years on passenger aircraft, and the carriage of lithium batteries with a mass of more than 35kg requires specific approval from the flight’s origin country.
Tom Ouyang, AirBridgeCargo’s regional special cargo manager for Asia & Pacific, commented: “This is an important event for the LB industry in China and we are honoured to be the first airline to get CAAC approval. The export of the first SP A99 lithium battery shipment is a remarkable milestone in the air logistics industry in China. Our appreciation to the great efforts done by the authorities, the customer, and our teams, for making it happen. With the successful experience, we are encouraged to support more and more customers on the transportation of this special cargo in future.”
AirBridgeCargo said it had over 15 years of experience in delivering various types of dangerous goods. “With the active development of technologies, the company has mapped out solutions to transport lithium-ion batteries and lithium metal batteries and advised on the whole process, covering ready-for-carriage procedures,” the company said.
Source: Lloyd’s
