Air travel with LiPo batteries - a response from the CAA.

[Skye]

As promised I contacted the Civil Aviation Authority last week, in response to the discussion on here over carrying LiPo batteries in your luggage during air travel.

I have now had a response from them so here are the main points extracted from the reply :

• Provided the lithium ion batteries have a watt-hour rating of no more than 100 Wh, then in addition to those inside the car, there is no restriction on the number of spare batteries that can be carried, provided that each one is individually protected from short circuit and they are for that person’s own use.

• They should also be carried in carry-on baggage rather than in checked (hold) baggage.

• There is no requirement for the batteries to be contained in a LiPo sack, although the added protection the sack provides is welcome.

I also requested a formal written document specifically written for this subject which I have been promised in the near future, as soon as I receive this then I will put it on here or on a link where it can be easily accessed and printed off by anyone who may require it.

There may be further complications in the near future however as they also added :

There will be an additional requirement that will be introduced from 1 January 2013 (or possibly sooner depending upon the results of an international meeting in February), which will be that each cell and battery carried by a passenger must be of a type that has successfully passed a series of United Nations tests.

I provided them with a PDF file of all the BRCA approved batteries for 2011 which their response in relation to the above statement was :

I note that the attachment you included contains a list of BRCA approved batteries and I wouldn’t guarantee that they have all been subjected to this testing.

So it appears that batteries that we currently use may not be legal for air travel within the next 12 months if they have either a; not passed the new regualtions, or b; not have the relevant certification to confirm they have passed the tests.

Once I have the formal document, or if I receive any additional information on the subject then I will post it up on here to share with everyone.