FAA issues fines for improperly packaged lithium batteries

The FAA has issued fines against three shippers for allegedly packing and declaring lithium-ion batteries improperly, resulting in two fires last year. Battery fires are difficult to control and extinguish due to high heat and unpredictability. On an airplane, these fires can cause “catastrophic hull loss,” the FAA told Cargo Facts . [caption id="attachment_57291553" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] (Courtesy/Canva)[/caption] Lithium batteries contain more stored energy than other dangerous goods like flammable liquids or corrosives and, when packaged improperly, can go into “thermal runaway.” Thermal runaway happens when batteries are packed closely together and one battery ignites another, which ignites another, and so on. The FAA has verified 648 events involving lithium batteries on aircraft between March 2006 and August 2025. Incidents have increased, reaching a record eighty-nine last year, according to the FAA. Fifty incidents have been verified so far in 2025. Carriers and airports use multiple methods to identify improperly packaged and declared lithium batteries , and to reduce fire risk, including: Lithium-detecting dogs ; AI-driven screening programs ; and Specialty storage zones for the batteries . $170K penalty against mobile phone provider The FAA has proposed a $170,000 civil penalty against MobileSentrix of Manassas, Va., according to a Sept. 5 announcement. The agency alleges that MobileSentrix violated hazardous materials regulations on four air cargo shipments that were being transported by FedEx. The four alleged incidents occurred between Aug. 8, 2024, and Nov. 1, 2024. In the first incident, the package, which carried about twenty-five mobile phone lithium-ion batteries, reportedly began emitting smoke and a burning smell. Inspection of the contents reportedly revealed that a fire had occurred and three of the batteries had melted together. None of the four shipments was properly classified, described, packaged, marked, labeled or in the proper condition for shipment, the FAA alleges. MobileSentrix asked to meet with the FAA to discuss the case, according to the agency. The shipper did not respond to request for comment from Cargo Facts . Additional civil penalties The FAA has also proposed a $60,000 civil penalty against LG Energy Solution of Seoul, South Korea, and a $74,250 civil penalty against Mokwheel E-Bikes of Huntington Beach, Calif. The FAA alleges that, on Jan. 4, 2024, battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution offered an undeclared and improperly packaged and labeled shipment of five lithium-ion batteries from Seoul to Los Angeles. FedEx personnel reportedly discovered the shipment when it “emitted heat, smoke, ember and flames” in a FedEx sorting facility in Irvine, Calif., according to the FAA. One or more of the lithium-ion batteries were charred and melted, the agency said. LG Energy Solution has thirty days after receiving the FAA’s enforcement letter to respond to the agency, according to the agency. Regarding Mokwheel, the FAA alleges that, on Dec. 26, 2023, the company offered an undeclared hazardous materials shipment containing lithium-ion batteries to UPS for air transport from Ontario, Calif., to Shenzhen, China. The FAA alleges that the shipment was not properly classified, described, marked, labeled or “packaged to prevent sparks or a dangerous evolution of heat.” The FAA also alleges Mokwheel failed to ensure its employees received required training and failed to include emergency response information in shipping papers. UPS personnel discovered the shipment at the company’s sorting facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Mokwheel has received the FAA’s enforcement letter, the FAA said. Neither LG Energy Solutions nor Mokwheel responded to requests for comment from Cargo Facts . Register here for Cargo Facts ’ upcoming free webinar, “Air cargo route networks: Strategies for improved results and greater efficiencies,” on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 11 a.m. ET. Cargo Facts Symposium, the quintessential event for stakeholders and key leaders in the global freighter and air cargo industries, will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Nashville . Learn more and register today .

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