An AvSax fire containment bag with the kind of electronic devices that could catch fire

Incidents involving lithium batteries catching fire on aircraft have sometimes put  crew and passengers in danger ... but AvSax fire containment bags have now been used more than 30 times on board aircraft. 

Many aviation authorities, including the Civil Aviation Authority in the UK, have emphasised the need for passengers and crew to only carry good quality batteries from reputable sources.

The CAA warns: “Poorly manufactured, faulty and misused lithium batteries and those which have not been protected against short circuit can experience something called ‘thermal runaway.'  This results in them getting so hot they can catch fire, explode and ignite other nearby batteries.  If that was to happen on the flight deck it could significantly disrupt the operation of the aircraft and cause serious injury to flight crew. Similarly, if such an event occurred in the passenger cabin it could cause serious injury to a passenger or crew member.”

The CAA goes on to say that products designed for use in response to lithium battery thermal runaway events, which provide both a cooling and containment capability, are typically more aligned to international guidance. 

By using water or other non-flammable liquid to act as a cooling agent Avsax fulfils this requirement and is now carried on more than 13,000 aircraft operated by 65 airlines around the world, including some of the biggest and best-known.

AvSax  – which won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2018 - has been used over 30 times to deal with emergencies since the start of 2017, with many expensive diversions for emergency landings being avoided.