Regulators in the United Kingdom ordered Amazon UK Services Ltd. to pay 65,000 British pounds (U.S. $84,288.92) for four counts of “causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft,” according to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority.
An Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary has been fined 65,000 British pounds (U.S. $84,288.92) for violations of United Kingdom airfreight safety regulations, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
The UK’s Southwark Crown Court found Amazon UK Services Ltd. guilty of four counts of “causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft,” under the country’s Air Navigation (Dangerous Goods) Regulations of 2002.
The four offenses, which took place between January 2014 and June 2015, related to shipments destined for flights within and out of the UK that included lithium ion batteries and flammable aerosols. All of the items were found and detained by Royal Mail and UPS screening staff prior to their intended departures.
“Around the world, retailers and online traders must comply with international restrictions, which prohibit the shipping of dangerous goods on passenger aircraft, which pose a flight safety risk,” CAA General Counsel Kate Staples said of the ruling. “Whenever issues are identified, the CAA works with companies to make sure those issues are addressed, however if improvements are not made, we will not hesitate to enforce the law in order to protect the traveling public.
“The safety of aviation and the public is paramount and we will continue to work closely with retailers and online traders to ensure they understand the regulations and have robust processes in place so their items can be shipped safely,” she added.
According to a report from the UK’s Press Association, Amazon argued in court the offenses were the “inadvertent” result of human error and, as such, were “neither willful, nor reckless.”
Amazon subsidiary fined for violation of UK dangerous goods rules
