PASSENGERS carrying lithium-ion batteries can pose a fire risk in-flight, according to Fiji Airways senior flight Captain Josua Cavalevu.
He told the proposed Civil Aviation Bill 2026 consultations committee in Nadi that as a pilot, one of the scariest things for him was a fire breaking out in the cargo compartment.
“This is a real emergency risk for us in Fiji Airways, especially with an event of lithium-ion batteries and power bags,” he said.
“Is there any way that we can enhance this area? Because we are taking a lot of action within the airline to try and stamp out the carriage of these things.”
“For example, we transfer bags. When our Fiji Airways 727 gets full, we transfer bags from the cabin down to the cargo and in that process, we are able to carry lithium-ion batteries in cabin and not allowed to carry it in the cargo compartment.
“As a pilot I think one of the scariest things for me is having this fire in the cargo compartment. The reason being the fire suppression systems on our jet aircraft cannot put out this fire.”
Mr Cavalevu called on the committee to strengthen the regulations in the dangerous goods section of the Bill.
“Maybe we relook at how we can screen better.
“So, for example in New Zealand, they have confiscated batteries, and we do not have that provision here in Fiji. That is something we should be looking at because this is an emergency risk and in fact it is one of the top five risks now.
“I’m very weary on carrying lithium-ion batteries and, in fact, I had it on my last flight from Honolulu to Christmas Island. I just told them to off-load it
“But this comes back down to us having the right regulations for us to mitigate any potential risk.
“We are talking about being proactive from a safety perspective. I think that is something that we need to do.”
In response, Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) acting CEO Rigamoto Aisake said there was a requirement in place that a passenger would undergo a screening process before boarding the aircraft.
“First line of defence is the screening of dangerous goods, and the questions that you have on the counter prior to checking in are, ‘is this your bag?, ‘did you pack it yourself?, ‘do you know what you are carrying?’” Mr Aisake said.
“All these are questions that we need to determine or ascertain what the passenger is carrying.
“But again, it comes to the screening. If you are carrying dangerous goods through the screening points, the screener should be able to detect it.”
