There are many different types of batteries, some of which are hazardous to send as air cargo; and some of which are not.
Normal household batteries such as AA are generally "dry cell" batteries and are non-hazardous for freight purposes. However, they must be insulated during transportation to ensure they do not short-circuit or activate electrical devices.
Lithium ion batteries are subject to further restrictions as shown below and you must declare all items which contain them when you complete the shipper's inventory.
There must be no more than two lithium ion batteries per package and these must be contained in equipment i.e. they must be inside and part of the electronic device which they power. There must be no spare or loose batteries whatsoever inside the packages.
The following list contains examples of the type of devices which could contain these batteries;
Digital Cameras, video cameras, mobile phones, PDA's, iPod's, iPad's, Notebook PC's, Portable DVD Players, MP3 Music Players, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Portable (PSP), electronic dictionaries, playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Digital books, Kindles.
A failure to follow this advice could lead to prosecution and the confiscation of your goods. Please ensure you adhere to these regulations. For the official IATA rules and regulations surrounding this matter, please click here.