The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) under the United States Department of Transportation issued a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) in connection to the growing popularity of the e-cigarettes, which reportedly endangers the wellbeing of airline passengers.
The FAA disclosed that the e-cigarettes might "pose a fire hazard in the cargo compartment," as pointed by the International Civil Aviation Organization, the sector of the United Nations that takes charge of the development and dissemination of the recommended standards to be adhered to by the international aviation community.
The memo was released to alert the airlines of the latest announcement from the ICAO, which shed light on several recent incidents connected to e-cigarettes packed in passengers' baggage. According to ICAO, e-cigarettes should be banned from the cargo compartment as soon as possible.
SAFO was alarmed by numerous incidents linked to e-cigarettes, which occurred both inside and outside the transportation sector. These instances were found to have been caused by e-cigarettes overheating, or catching fire following the accidental activation of the device's heating element.
For instance, an e-cigarette stowed in the checked baggage of one of the customers ignited a fire in an airline's cargo compartment in August at Boston's Logan Airport. This incident forced the crew and passengers to evacuate the plane due to the danger posed by the said fire.
According to the FAA SAFO, the passengers could even increase the risk if these devices are modified. Higher danger could be expected if they include in their checked baggage e-cigarettes that were rebuilt from the reusable versions, which have parts interchanged from the original such as vaporizing parts, heating elements and aftermarket batteries.
Hence, the FAA SAFO suggested that airline operators should implement new rules requiring passengers to carry the said devices in the aircraft cabin. All other components related to e-cigarettes should also be excluded from items packed in their baggage. These measures could lessen the possibility of fire, as overheating inside the aircraft cabin is less likely compared to the condition in the cargo compartment. In addition, fire caused by e-cigarettes could be quickly and more efficiently handled inside the cabin.
