AirBridgeCargo Airlines (ABC) has been granted approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for commercial transportation of lithium batteries over 35kg.

ABC’s first commercial shipment of 113kg was launched on 20 October from Shanghai Pudong Airport, China, to Frankfurt, Germany.

ABC is the first airline to receive the approval in China.

“This is an important event for the LB industry in China and we are honoured to be the first airline to get CAAC approval,” said AirBridgeCargo’s regional special cargo manager – Asia and Pacific – Tom Ouyang.

“The export of the first SP A99 lithium battery shipment is a remarkable milestone in the air logistics industry in China. With this experience, we are encouraged to support more and more customers on the transportation of this special cargo in future,”

ABC said the CAAC approval will enable the company to leverage the growing demand for transportation of SP A99 lithium batteries, and offer logistics solutions to its new and existing customers.