Incidents triggered by lithium-ion batteries are now, on average, a weekly occurrence on U.S. flights, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with cabin crews expressing concern over the risk. This year, 69 lithium battery incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat have occurred on U.S. flights as of Dec. 16, FAA data show. This equates to more than 1.3 incidents per week. Since 2015, the number of such events has increased by more than 330 percent. Between March 3, 2006, and Nov. 5, 2024, a total of 579 lithium battery incidents were recorded, with the majority of cases coming from passenger carriers. Battery packs and batteries accounted for the bulk of these incidents, with 229 events, followed by e-cigarettes/vape devices with 122, cell phones with 81, laptops with 70, and the rest involving other electronic and medical devices. On Nov. 5, a smoke detector alarm from the lavatory of a United Airlines flight coming from San Francisco went off. “Flight a...
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