IATA has banned one type of fruit from being carried on aircraft due to a risk of spontaneous combustion on flights.
Travellers are being informed of the prohibition of one specific fruit on aircraft due to its potential to catch alight.
CERTAIN FRUIT BANNED ON FLIGHTS
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has included a certain fruit on its latest list of banned items for flights, highlighting a health and safety concern.
Passengers can expect this item to be removed from their baggage at airport security checkpoints, where baggage is screened. It will not be allowed to be taken onboard the aircraft.
COPRA – DRIED COCONUT MEAT
Although passengers can transport whole coconuts in both their carry-on and checked luggage, the restriction applies to dried coconut meat, known as copra. This is found inside the fruit.
Copra, which is rich in oil, is deemed highly flammable. It is thus a fire hazard, leading to its exclusion from both carry-on and checked luggage for most airlines.
The only exemption granted is for retail-packaged coconut products, according to FreshPlaza.
DANGEROUS GOODS: COPRA – THIS FRUIT BANNED ON FLIGHTS
Dried coconut is classified by IATA as Class 4 Dangerous Goods. This therefore means that this fruit item is classified a flammable solid.
This categorization places dried coconut alongside other hazardous items like matches, firelighters, metal powders, and sodium batteries.
IATA’s classification underscores the potential risks associated when transporting such goods by air.
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SAFETY IN AVIATION
The organization collaborates with local governments and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to formulate effective and operationally feasible regulations for the transport of dangerous goods.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also lists highly flammable coconut meat among the substances prohibited in carry-on luggage.
IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) manual serves as the universal guide for the air shipment of hazardous materials and is the sole standard recognized by major airlines across the globe.