Frequently Asked Questions on Transportation of Dangerous Goods by Air

Dangerous Goods are items that may endanger the safety of an aircraft or persons on board the aircraft. Dangerous Goods are also known as restricted articles, hazardous materials and dangerous cargo. Many common items found in your household can be considered dangerous goods for the purpose of air transport.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) or the local Civil Aviation Authority Regulations govern their carriage onboard aircraft.

The Regulations place the responsibility for correct classification of dangerous goods on the shipper. The classification criteria for each class and division of dangerous goods are stipulated in DGR Section 3.

Advice on the correct classification of a substance should be sought from the manufacturer or distributor of the substance. In addition, classification may be performed by an accredited testing laboratory or advice can be sought from the competent authority.

Yes, but it may be exempted from the need of formal declaration. Check Section II of the applicable packing instruction in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Or our lithium battery guidance document

Check with the manufacturer or distributor for recent production information. Battery manufacturers and distributors may have such information on their corporate websites, or through their technical support lines. It is important to note that Material Safety Data Sheets are not required in transport and not required at all for articles. This information could therefore be presented in Product Data Sheets, directly on the website, or other formats.

Unfortunately many SDS do not provide accurate classification for transport purposes. You should further inquire with the manufacturer or distributor or have the product tested by an authorized laboratory.

The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations is a "field manual" version of the ICAO Technical Instructions. Written and edited by airline dangerous goods experts, the Dangerous Goods Regulations present the requirements for shipping dangerous goods by air in a user friendly, easy to interpret format.

The DGR also includes additional information which can assist shippers in making sure their consignments are in compliance and will be accepted quickly and easily by the airlines. As IATA airlines are somewhat stricter in their requirements than the ICAO Technical Instructions, the DGR specifies more precisely how to prepare a shipment.

Talk to the airline and try to get as much information as possible. Check the State and operator variations of Section 2 of the IATA DGR: Have you observed all variations? Is there any likelihood the shipment may have been damaged on its way to the airport? Bear in mind that Paragraph 1.2.4 of the IATA DGR clearly stipulates that airlines are not obliged to transport a particular substance or product. They are free to impose requirements beyond and above the regulations.

While there is no definition of a "full address" in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, we recommend that a full address be an address indicating a physical location that would be acceptable in the post (mail) in that country. This means that abbreviations would be completely acceptable.

Examples of these abbreviations could be USA, UAE, AUS or TX, QC, NSW.

Appendix F in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations contains a list of companies around the world that can supply the packaging you require.

No. It is a myth that just any cardboard box will do to meet the requirements. Under the Limited Quantity provisions the fiberboard box must meet certain specifications and be capable of specified drop and stacking tests.

Limited Quantity packaging is combination packaging, with inner packaging inside an outer package. The inners and outers must be constructed according to the same criteria as UN specification packaging. The inners must meet the construction criteria of DGR 6.1 and the outer the construction criteria of 6.2. So if you have glass inners - DGR 6.1.1 applies, and if you have a fiberboard outer DGR 6.2.10 applies.

Almost all the General Packaging Requirements of DGR 5.0.2 and 5.0.3 for shipping dangerous goods by air apply. DGR 5.0.3.1 explains which requirements do not apply.

The main difference between the UN specification package and the Limited Quantity one is the testing. The Limited Quantity packaging, when packed as for transport must be capable of withstanding a 1.2 meter drop test in a position most likely to cause most damage, without leakage, and be capable of withstanding, without breakage or leakage a 24 hour stacking test.