# Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment, PI 966 Section I (UN 3481) — state of charge · IATA (air cargo) — Flying with restricted items: FAA, TSA and IATA baggage and air cargo rules

For Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment, PI 966 Section I (UN 3481), authority is IATA (air cargo); item or substance is Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment, PI 966 Section I (UN 3481) — state of charge; restriction type is restricted; scope is air transport (mandatory from 1 January 2026); conditions is Must be offered for transport at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of rated capacity; above 30% only with the approval of the State of Origin and the State of the Operator under written conditions, recorded from its source on 2026-09-22.

- **Item or substance:** Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment, PI 966 Section I (UN 3481) — state of charge
- **Authority:** IATA (air cargo) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Restriction type:** restricted _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Scope:** air transport (mandatory from 1 January 2026) _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Conditions:** Must be offered for transport at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of rated capacity; above 30% only with the approval of the State of Origin and the State of the Operator under written conditions.

## What the source says

> Lithium-ion cells and batteries must be offered for transport at a state of charge not exceeding 30% of their rated capacity. Cells and/or batteries at a state of charge greater than 30% of their rated capacity may only be shipped with the approval of the State of Origin and the State of the Operator under the written conditions established by those authorities.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Item or substance

> Lithium-ion batteries packed with equipment (PI 966) Section I and Section II

### Scope

> From 1 January 2026, lithium-ion batteries that are packed with equipment and vehicles powered by lithium ion or sodium ion batteries must be offered for air transport with the battery at a reduced state of charge, unless otherwise approved by the relevant States (Special Provision A331).

## Source

- https://www.iata.org/contentassets/05e6d8742b0047259bf3a700bc9d42b9/lithium-battery-guidance-document.pdf

Last verified: 2026-09-22. Review by: 2027-09-22.
Part of [Flying with restricted items: FAA, TSA and IATA baggage and air cargo rules](https://referencesource.org/air-travel-item-restrictions/).