If your freight involves lithium batteries, 2026 changed the math on flying it. The 30% state-of-charge limit that has applied to standalone lithium-ion batteries for years expanded on January 1, 2026 to cover batteries packed with equipment (UN 3481) and battery-powered vehicles (UN 3556). The change came in through the 2025–2026 edition of the ICAO Technical Instructions and the 67th Edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, and we are now nine months into watching shippers run into it.
What Actually Changed on January 1
Standalone lithium-ion batteries shipped under UN 3480 have been capped at 30% state of charge for air transport since 2016. What was new this year is the reach. Batteries packed with equipment and the batteries powering electric vehicles now have to be offered for air transport at no more than 30% of rated capacity too. The recommendation existed in 2025; in 2026 it became mandatory.
The same rule set formalized new UN numbers for sodium-ion batteries — UN 3551 for batteries with organic electrolyte and UN 3552 for batteries packed with or contained in equipment — and they follow the lithium-ion playbook, including the charge limit for batteries shipped alone. One smaller housekeeping item: the phone number on the lithium battery mark phases out by December 31, 2026, so packaging stock is turning over this year as well.
Why This Bites Harder Than It Sounds
Thirty percent sounds like a paperwork detail until you are the one holding the shipment. A few places we see it hurt:
- Equipment that ships charged. Medical devices, test instruments, backup power units — a lot of gear leaves the factory with batteries topped up so it works on arrival. Discharging to 30%, documenting it, and re-verifying before tender adds a step many shippers did not have in their process a year ago.
- Vehicles. An EV or hybrid moving by air now needs its pack drawn down to 30%. That takes time, the right equipment, and someone who can certify the state of charge — and the vehicle still has to be drivable at destination.
- Anything that cannot get to 30%. Some batteries cannot be safely discharged that far, and some equipment cannot function on arrival if they are. The regulations allow exceptions, but only with approval from the relevant authorities — and approvals are measured in weeks, not hours.
Where Charter Fits
Remember that standalone lithium-ion, lithium-metal, and sodium-ion batteries (UN 3480, UN 3090, UN 3551) remain forbidden as cargo on passenger aircraft entirely. They fly cargo aircraft only. Stack that on top of the charge limits and the practical pool of compliant lift gets narrow fast — especially on routes where scheduled freighter capacity is thin or the next freighter departure is three days out.
This is where dedicated cargo charter earns its keep. When we quote a battery shipment, we are matching it to a Part 135 cargo operator that is certificated to carry the specific UN number and packing instruction involved — not hoping a forwarder’s network finds space. The dangerous goods paperwork, the operator’s DG approval, the packaging and marking, and the state-of-charge documentation all get checked before wheels up, because a hazmat shipment bounced at acceptance is worse than one that never left the dock.
What We Tell Shippers Right Now
Build the discharge step into your production and shipping timeline instead of discovering it at tender. Get your test summaries and state-of-charge documentation in order before you need to move anything urgently. If your product genuinely cannot meet 30%, start the approval conversation early — do not wait for the AOG-style emergency. And when the shipment is time-critical, hazmat-restricted, or both, price a dedicated charter against the cost of the delay. On a production line down or a device stuck in a hospital loading dock, the charter usually wins.
We move dangerous goods by air charter every week, batteries included, with a network of 500+ vetted Part 135 operators and an average wheels-up time under two hours. If you have a battery shipment the networks will not touch — or will not touch fast enough — we are available 24/7/365 at (858) 529-7860 or quotes@onflyair.com.