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Dangerous goods: not a refusal, a procedure.

Batteries, paint, aerosols, chemicals, oxygen bottles, engines with residual fuel — a great deal of ordinary industrial freight is dangerous goods under IATA rules. It flies every day. What decides whether yours flies is the declaration, the packing and the aircraft.

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What counts

Nine classes, and most of them are in a normal factory.

Dangerous goods are classified by the hazard they present in flight, under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, which implement the ICAO Technical Instructions. Most shippers meet them without using the words: a lithium battery in a spare part, a drum of solvent, a cylinder of compressed gas, a machine that has run and still holds fuel.

Whether an item may fly, and on what kind of aircraft, is set by its UN number and packing instruction — not by opinion. That is why the first thing the desk asks for is the safety data sheet.

  • 1 · Explosives   2 · GasesAirbag inflators, aerosols, compressed and liquefied gases.
  • 3 · Flammable liquids   4 · Flammable solidsSolvents, paints, adhesives, some metal powders.
  • 5 · Oxidisers   6 · Toxic and infectiousPeroxides, laboratory reagents, diagnostic specimens.
  • 7 · Radioactive   8 · CorrosivesMeasuring sources, acids, batteries with free electrolyte.
  • 9 · MiscellaneousLithium batteries, dry ice, magnetised material, engines.

The three that come up most

Where DG shipments usually stop — and why.

01Lithium batteries. The most common blocker in time-critical freight. Whether a cell ships depends on watt-hours, on whether it is packed with or contained in equipment, and on state of charge. Passenger aircraft rules are stricter than cargo aircraft rules, which is often the whole reason a charter is chosen.
02Dry ice. Temperature-controlled pharma and clinical shipments usually travel on dry ice, which is itself dangerous goods (UN 1845) because it sublimates. Quantity per package and total per aircraft are limited, and the limit is the operator's to set within the rules.
03Engines and machinery that have run. Residual fuel, oil and hydraulic fluid make a used engine a DG shipment even when a new one is not. Draining, purging and the correct declaration are what turn it back into ordinary freight.

A cargo aircraft can carry classes and quantities a passenger aircraft cannot. When a shipment is refused on a scheduled flight, that is frequently the reason — and frequently why a charter becomes the answer rather than an extravagance.

What we need from you

The shipper classifies. We arrange the aircraft that accepts it.

Be clear about where responsibility sits: classification, packing, marking, labelling and the declaration are the shipper's legal duties. We are a broker — we place the shipment with an operator approved to carry that class, and we will not put a booking in front of you until the paperwork holds.

  • Safety data sheetFor every substance in the shipment.
  • UN number and proper shipping nameWith class, packing group and packing instruction.
  • Shipper's declarationSigned, by someone with valid DG training.
  • Packing, marks and labelsUN-specification packaging, correct hazard labels and handling marks.

If you do not have this yet, say so at the first call rather than at the terminal. A shipment that arrives undeclared is not a delay — it is an offence, and it stops the aircraft, not just the box.

Limits

What we will not do.

  • Move undeclared dangerous goods — under any description, on any route, for any deadline.
  • Advise you on classification — that is the shipper's duty and a trained person's signature.
  • Hand-carry DG by courier — passenger-aircraft rules make most of it impossible; see on-board courier.
  • Place it with an approved operator — one whose approvals cover that class on that route.
  • Check the paperwork before departure — declaration, packing instruction, quantities per package.
  • Tell you when the answer is road — some classes and quantities are simpler by truck under seal.

Send the safety data sheet and the deadline.

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