American aviation authorities have stated that Apple AirTags in checked luggage do not pose a safety risk.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that AirTags in particular are permitted in checked bags and are not viewed as dangerous.
"On checked baggage, lithium metal batteries with a lithium content of 0.3 grams or less may be used to power luggage monitoring devices, "said the FAA.
"Other luggage monitoring gadgets might not meet this standard, but Apple AirTags do.
The FAA's restriction is not met by AirTags, which have 0.1 grams of lithium.
After over a week of confusion brought on by Lufthansa's contradicting remarks regarding a purported ban on the common tracking devices on its flights, the FAA finally clarified the situation.
AirTags are permitted in checked baggage on its flights, the German flag carrier reaffirmed in a clear statement on Wednesday.
The company added in a statement that the German Aviation Authorities (Luftfahrtbundesamt) confirmed today that they concur with its risk assessment that tracking devices with very low battery and transmission power in checked luggage do not present a safety issue.
Therefore, these devices are permitted on flights operated by Lufthansa.
Batteries for the AirTags, which use low-powered Bluetooth to connect to other Apple devices, were at issue.
The "button cell" batteries used by AirTags have a little amount of lithium metal and are roughly the size of coins.
The most popular uses for these batteries are to power wristwatches and key fobs.
The complex network of international organizations and authorities that regulate air carriers contributed to some of the uncertainty.
Lufthansa initially cited rules established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, a body under the United Nations.
However, the ICAO only offers guidelines, which are then upheld by regional authorities.
As a member airline of the European Union, Lufthansa is subject to some regulation by the European Aviation Safety Agency and the German authorities, the Luftfahrtbundesamt.
Like the FAA, these organizations play similar duties.
EASA stated on Tuesday that it had not prohibited AirTags and that any prohibition of Lufthansa flights would have been at the airline's discretion.
Regarding the agency's rules for portable electronic devices, EASA stated in a statement, "The regulation does not in itself limit or authorize devices such as the Apple AirTags."
"Operators must forbid the use of equipment that could negatively impact flight safety or an aircraft's systems," the FAA states.
Airline passengers recently had a summer travel season rife with customer service concerns, including misplaced luggage, which led to a boom in the adoption of trackers like AirTags.
Some people on social media suggested that Lufthansa's action wasn't motivated by any actual regulations or occurrences, but rather was an attempt to cover up humiliating customer service failures.
No AirTags have ever been known to catch fire on an aeroplane, especially not in the cargo hold, where in-flight fires are more challenging to put out.
In addition, no other significant airline had imitated Lufthansa's decision to forbid AirTags.
Now that a leading aviation regulator has stated unequivocally that the devices do not present a significant risk — and Lufthansa is facing criticism for its about-face — it seems unlikely that any other airlines will.
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