Everyone Plays a Role: Building a Safer and More Secure Air Cargo Supply Chain for Dangerous Goods
Air cargo carries less than 1% of global trade by volume, yet transports approximately one-third of global trade by value each year. As demand continues to grow, so does the movement of dangerous goods, particularly lithium batteries, which are essential to modern life but can pose significant safety risks when not prepared or transported correctly.
Over 80% of safety incidents involving dangerous goods in cargo are related to undeclared and mis-declared dangerous goods. Security screening of cargo cannot be the first, last and the only line of defense. There needs to be a stronger mindset recognizing that safety mechanisms for dangerous goods do not start and end at the airport. A cargo safety mindset must be embedded throughout the entire supply chain, from manufacturers and shippers to freight forwarders, airports, ground handlers, airlines, regulators, and States.
Central to this approach is a program of outreach with States and cargo supply chain partners in ensuring dangerous goods safety and security are managed across the whole logistics network.
From manufacturers and shippers to airports, airlines, regulators, and training providers, a new approach is needed to redefine how dangerous goods safety and security are managed across the air cargo supply chain.
Recent years have seen unprecedented growth in e-commerce, cross-border trade, and lithium battery shipments. While these developments have enabled economic expansion, they have also increased the risk posed by undeclared or improperly prepared dangerous goods.
A single dangerous goods incident can result in:
- Damage to aircraft and cargo
- Injury to personnel
- Environmental harm
- Operational disruptions
- Significant financial penalties
- Reputational damage
The aviation industry has developed a robust safety framework for shipments of properly classified, packed, marked, labelled and declared dangerous goods, which are routinely carried without incident. However, one of the greatest remaining threats to cargo safety and security is undeclared dangerous goods. These dangerous goods are often introduced into the supply chain long before a shipment reaches an airline.
A Major Shift: Strengthening the Entire Supply Chain
IATA has developed a thought leadership paper, "From Origin to Destination: Ensuring Dangerous Goods Safety in the Cargo Supply Chain," which explores how industry participants, governments, and regulators can work together to strengthen safety from origin to destination. The proposed direction reflects a simple principle:
Safety and security responsibilities extend far beyond the aircraft operator, and everyone has a role to play.
The paper identifies a broad network of participants whose actions directly influence dangerous goods safety, including:
- States and regulators
- Manufacturers
- Testing laboratories
- Shippers
- Freight forwarders
- Postal authorities
- Airports
- Airlines
- Ground handling service providers
- Training organizations
- Industry associations
- Specialist consultants
Each plays a unique role in being part of a layered system of safety defenses designed to prevent dangerous goods incidents from occurring. Some examples are:
States and Regulators
How oversight, education, data analytics, and coordinated enforcement can improve safety outcomes.
Shippers and Freight Forwarders
Why stronger partnerships, competency, and quality assurance programs are becoming essential business differentiators.
Airports, Ground Handlers and Airlines
Practical recommendations for governance, infrastructure, risk management, and supply chain oversight.
Training Organizations
How competency-based learning methodologies and emerging AI tools are reshaping dangerous goods education.
The Safety Culture Imperative
At the centre of the paper is a call for stronger safety culture across the entire cargo supply chain. Organizations are encouraged to move beyond basic compliance and embrace:
- Competency-based training and assessment
- Quality assurance programs
- Incident reporting and learning systems
- Data-driven risk management
- Cross-industry collaboration
- Digitalized processes and documentation
Compliance alone is not enough. Proactive safety management together with an understanding of how your upstream cargo supply chain partners approach outreach, education, and prevention will become the new benchmark for dangerous goods safety.
The Bottom Line
Air cargo safety is no longer defined by what happens at the airport or on board an aircraft.
The next evolution of dangerous goods safety requires every participant in the supply chain to understand their responsibilities, embrace a proactive safety culture, and work collaboratively to identify and manage risk before it enters the aviation system.
Dangerous goods safety and security begin long before cargo reaches an aircraft. The full paper explains how a stronger, safer supply chain depends on everyone playing their part.
IATA is developing a White Paper which will build additional tools and practical operational guidance. In the meantime, read the current report.