On 25 May, Korean Air graced an event hosted by Incheon International Airport Corporation at the Grand Hyatt Incheon to reveal its IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators (CEIV) Lithium Batteries certification, which it earlier received in April.
Lithium batteries comprise 10 percent of the airline’s overall cargo volume and it expects the certification to further enhance its reputation in safe and reliable air cargo services.
In December 2022, Korean Airline joined a working group led by Incheon International Airport Corporation to prepare for the certification. All stakeholders in the working group, which included forwarders and operators were successfully certified in the first half of 2023, the carrier noted.
Introduced in 2021, the CEIV Lithium Batteries certification establishes and validates baseline standards to improve the level of competency and quality management in the handling and transport of lithium battery shipments throughout the supply chain.
Experts conduct an in-depth evaluation of all aspects of the transportation process and procedures based on standardized audit criteria consisting of over 240 items to ensure that the organization meets the program’s standards.
“When necessary, the airline may also apply its own proprietary procedures that are more rigorous than the ones set forth by international standards,” the airline shared in a statement.”
In related news, Baku-based carrier Silk Way West Airlines also received the certification from IATA. Darko Vucic, vice president, corporate quality assurance & quality control, QMS at Silk Way West, commented on successfully passing all stages of certification.
“We upgraded our knowledge of IATA’s DGR manual implementing the latest standards and best practices related to the safe transport and handling of lithium batteries with further improvement of our safety performance by developing safety risk assessments specific to lithium batteries.
“The benefit for us, besides procedural improvements regarding the transport of lithium batteries, is to ensure that we continue to maintain the highest applicable.”
Edits made in the first paragraph to reflect Incheon International Airport Corporation as the event host on 25 May.
