Johannesburg - A number of South Africa’s domestic airlines have joined the international aviation community in banning the carrying of one of this year’s biggest Christmas sellers - the balance board.
This follows concerns over the potentially flammable battery, and the airlines are not allowing travellers to take them on board or to check them into the hold.
The portable device, also known as a hoverboard or segway, features two wheels and is activated when a rider shifts their weight forward and back. It is powered by an integrated lithium battery that cannot be removed manually.
Actor Russell Crowe took to Twitter on Tuesday after he was turned away by Virgin Australia when leaving Sydney airport with his sons, writing: “Ridiculous. No segway boards as luggage? Too late to tell us at airport. Kids and I offloaded. Goodbye Virgin. Never again.”
Safety issues with the built-in battery came to light following a number of incidents worldwide where the transporters spontaneously combusted.
Mango, SAA and FlySafair all confirmed this week that the boards have been restricted on their flights.
“We do not allow hoverboards on our aircraft due to most running on lithium-ion batteries. There are many requirements for the transport of lithium batteries, and if these requirements aren't met, it poses a risk to the people on board a flight,” said FlySafair spokeswoman Natasha Kotze.
She said clients would need to make alternative transport arrangements to courier the parcel home by road.
SAA spokesperson Tlali Tlali said the decision was taken in the interests of safety.
“Due to the risk posed by highly combustible lithium batteries, SAA has decided to place a total ban on the transportation of hoverboards on board our aircraft. The decision was effective from the beginning of December 2015 and applies to carriage both in the cabin as well as in the cargo hold.”
Mango stated that they had also prohibited them from all luggage and cargo classifications.
“The wattage of the batteries contained in such devices is above the wattage that Mango will transport,” said spokesperson Hein Kaiser.
Director of SA Scooter Shop Greg de Beer said the airlines had recently been made aware that the mobile boards had internal lithium batteries.
The growing craze for balance boards, which cost anything from R3 500 to R8 000, has seen a rise in the importing of prototypes which may have inferior components, such as lithium-ion batteries.
De Beer said issues in the UK and in the US with Amazon emerged just before Christmas and tarnished the image of balance boards.
Amazon released a statement on December 16 asking clients to “throw away unsafe hoverboards” and followed up by reportedly pulling their selection of products from the online mall.
A warning was then issued by Amazon to owners of some makes of boards not to leave the device unattended when charging, and if the plug was clover-shaped, it might not be compliant.
De Beer said his company had adhered to all regulations for the import of the boards, which his company has stocked for the past two months.
“No certification is required in South Africa for the lithium batteries, unlike the chargers, which are regulated.
“There are two types of batteries - the branded ones, which are accepted, and the cheap type. A lot of lower-quality chargers don’t have a cut-off in the actual charger and many of the lower priced balance boards on offer contain these.”
De Beer said they had both types in their products, but sent information by email to all 100 customers who had bought balance boards, warning them not to leave the device unattended when charging.
The threat of the boards combusting is not the only safety worry that has emerged internationally. Injuries and falls relating to the boards have caused the hashtag #Hoverboardfail to go viral.
New York has banned the motorised vehicle, with authorities warning users they may be fined up to $500 (R7 780) for riding on the city's pavements.
The Star