Hong Kong Air Cargo, the cargo subsidiary of Hong Kong Airlines, has implemented an embargo of all mobile phones from Chinese maker, Vivo after a serious battery fire occurred over the weekend.

The carrier also said it will prohibit all-cargo freight from Cargo Link Logistics HK Co and Sky Pacific Logistics HK Co Ltd after its mobile phones and related accessories shipments caught fire on the tarmac of the airport on Sunday, just before they were about to be loaded into the plane.

The ban takes effect immediately and "until further notice."

The shipments were bound for Bangkok. Local reports said the fire broke at 5:08 a.m. from the three cargo boxes waiting on the tarmac to be loaded.

It reportedly took 40 minutes to put out the fire and although airport operations were not affected, a 24-metre x 12-metre space on the tarmac was damaged in the blaze.

Hong Kong Air Cargo said it will comply with authorities in looking into the cause of the incident — while it added that the safety of cargo shipments and maintaining its operations remain the top priority for the carrier.

The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) said it continues to look into the incident.

"The CAD attaches great importance to the cargo fire incident that occurred at the apron of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) around 5 am on 11 April. No one was injured and the operation of the HKIA was not affected by the incident. The airline concerned has submitted the relevant information to the CAD in accordance with the established procedures," it said in a statement to Asia Cargo News.

"The CAD will continue to follow up closely on the incident based on the information available," it added.

Shipment of lithium-ion batteries and mobile phones have long been a concern within the industry — with several other mobile phone types in the past also reporting similar issues.

Guidelines from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that "all lithium-ion cells and batteries shipped by themselves (UN 3480) are forbidden for transport as cargo on passenger aircraft."

All packages prepared in accordance with required packing instructions must bear a Cargo Aircraft Only label, in addition to other required marks and/or labels.

Otherwise, airlines require that these type of handheld devices — such as power banks or those containing lithium batteries — should be carried in carry-on baggage on board.