How Environmental Defence Systems is protecting 16,700 passenger aircraft from catastrophic fire damage

Huddersfield-based Environmental Defence Systems Ltd has devised the AvSax lithium battery thermal fire containment bag which won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for its innovation. It is now the biggest selling lithium fire protection device on passenger aircraft worldwide.

They are on board around 16,750 aircraft operated by more than 100 airline companies worldwide, including some of the best-known names in the aviation industry.

A spokesman said: “AvSax have been deployed in action at least 33 times on board aircraft since 2017 and on every occasion the aircraft was able to continue safely to its destination with no need to divert or make an emergency landing.

“Planes which don’t have them often have to make emergency landings which can prove exceptionally costly to them with the bill quickly running into tens of thousands of pounds.

“Passengers will have noticed the pre-flight safety briefing has changed on aircraft recently with cabin crew saying they should be alerted if any electronic devices start to overheat or get lost down the seats. This is because if a passenger moves a seat to try to find a lost mobile the mechanism could crush the phone causing the battery to go into what’s known as thermal runaway.”

Faulty batteries can potentially go into thermal runaway at any time and when this happens it can produce enough heat to cause cells nearby to overheat.

The spokesman added: “This can cause a lithium battery fire to flare repeatedly and they are then very difficult to put out which is why the AvSax are needed. The device is put in the bag which is made from military grade material and can even withstand the force of a blast should the device explode.”

The organisation covering flight safety in the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority, warns a fire caused by a lithium battery could cause catastrophic damage to an aircraft.

It states: “Poor quality or counterfeit batteries have been the cause of fires on board aircraft. In recent years we’ve seen a growing number of fire incidents involving lithium batteries which have the potential to lead to the loss of an aircraft.”

Environmental Defence Systems managing director Richard Bailey, who invented the AvSax, said: “Incidents are now happening worryingly often which is why it’s important all aircraft are protected from the dangers of lithium battery fires. There is hardly a week goes by without us receiving an inquiry from an airline company.

Mr Bailey added: "Flying is all about safety which is why so many airlines now have AvSax as a precaution so they are ready to deal with any incident involving a lithium battery on a plane instantly and effectively.”