The lithium-ion batteries were contained in a consignment being transported between Motorola Solutions facilities in Bayan Lepas , Malaysia , and Tianjin , China ; the rest of the consignment consisted of walkie-talkie chargers and accessories . The batteries were assembled on 7 March and transported to the Penang Cargo Complex to be transported by MASkargo — Malaysia Airlines ' cargo subsidiary — to be loaded onto a lorry to transport it to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and onwards by air to Beijing . At the Penang Cargo Complex , the consignment was inspected by MASkargo employees and Malaysian customs officials , but did not go through a security screening before the truck was sealed for transfer to the airport . The consignment did not go through any additional inspections at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before it was loaded onto Flight 370 . Because the batteries were packaged in accordance with IATA guidelines , they were not regulated as dangerous goods . Lithium-ion batteries can cause intense fires if they overheat and ignite , which has led to strict regulations on their transport aboard aircraft . A fire fuelled by lithium-ion batteries caused the crash of UPS Airlines Flight 6 , and lithium-ion batteries are suspected to have caused a fire which resulted in the crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 991 ; both were cargo aircraft . Some airlines have stopped carrying bulk shipments of lithium-ion batteries on passenger aircraft , citing safety concerns
Asiana Airlines Flight 991
Asiana Airlines Flight 991
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370