• FAA proposes nearly US$430,000 in penalties against three companies for alleged violations of hazardous materials airfreight regulations

• Verizon and World Event Promotions cases centre on improperly declared lithium-ion battery shipments, including one smoking package discovered at a UPS facility

• Devinaire Industries cited for lapses in handling radiopharmaceutical cargo, including inadequate staff training and incomplete documentation

The US Federal Aviation Administration has moved to impose nearly US$430,000 in combined civil penalties on three separate companies, citing breaches of air transport rules governing hazardous materials.

At the centre of one case is Verizon Communications, which faces a proposed penalty of US$70,500. Regulators allege the company tendered three consignments of lithium-ion batteries to FedEx in May 2024 that were not correctly classified or declared. According to the FAA, the shipments were missing required descriptions, packaging standards, markings and hazard labels. Authorities also say the batteries were not in a suitable condition for air transport and that mandatory emergency response information was not supplied to the carrier.

Lithium-ion batteries remain a persistent concern in aviation logistics due to their fire risk and the difficulty of identifying undeclared units during screening. In practice, there are limited reliable physical checks available before cargo is loaded, which continues to worry regulators and carriers alike.

A second enforcement action targets World Event Promotions, based in Coral Gables, Florida. The FAA has proposed a US$260,000 fine, alleging the company offered three shipments of lithium-ion battery packs to UPS for air transport without complying with hazardous materials regulations. In one incident, UPS staff at a sorting facility in Ontario, California, reportedly found a package emitting smoke and showing a burn-through hole. The agency further alleges the shipments lacked required documentation and that battery charge levels exceeded 30% of rated capacity.

A third notice has been issued to Devinaire Industries of Hillsboro, Oregon, with a proposed penalty of US$97,500. The FAA says the company transported two shipments of radiopharmaceutical materials on air services in January 2025 without meeting regulatory requirements. Radioactive pharmaceutical products are classified as hazardous materials and are subject to strict handling rules. The regulator alleges that staff involved in accepting the consignments were not properly trained in hazardous goods procedures. It also claims that shipping documentation failed to describe the physical and chemical form of the radioactive substance and that record-keeping requirements for flight documentation were not met.

Each of the three firms has 30 days to respond to the FAA’s enforcement notices.

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