FAA Proposes $195,000 Civil Penalty Against British Airways, PLC

FORT WORTH – The U.S Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $195,000 civil penalty against British Airways, PLC, for allegedly violating Hazardous Materials Regulations.

The FAA alleges that on Aug. 14, 2012, British Airways offered a cardboard box containing a chemical oxygen generator to American Airlines for shipment aboard a passenger aircraft from London Heathrow Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Oxygen generators are extremely flammable and are forbidden as cargo aboard passenger aircraft. The generator, which is a component in the passenger oxygen system, was being shipped to Texas for repair.

The FAA alleges British Airways did not declare the hazardous materials, and the shipment was not properly classed, described, packaged, marked or labeled. The FAA further alleges British Airways failed to label the package as an oxidizer that is suitable for transport by cargo aircraft only, provided no emergency response information with the package, and did not ensure its employees had received the required training for shipping hazardous materials.

British Airways has requested to meet with the FAA to discuss the case.