Are lithium battery shipments allowed on passenger aircraft?

• A. They are prohibited entirely
• B. Always
• C. Only for small consumer-level batteries
• D. Generally restricted

Answer: (D)

Lithium batteries pose a fire risk, especially if they short-circuit or overheat, and fires aboard passenger aircraft are extremely difficult to tackle. Because of that, air transport rules treat lithium metal and lithium-ion batteries as dangerous goods and require strict packaging, labeling, documentation, and quantity limits. On passenger aircraft, shipments of these batteries aren’t allowed freely and are often restricted or prohibited unless they meet specific, tightly controlled conditions; some small, consumer batteries may be allowed under particular rules, but many other batteries cannot be shipped as cargo on passenger flights. So they are generally restricted.