Cargo Screening Alone Cannot Solve Undeclared Dangerous Goods Risk

Budapest - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for stronger, collaborative action across the air cargo supply chain in a multi-layered approach to counter the risks from undeclared and mis-declared dangerous goods.

The call comes amid discussions among regulators on the role of existing aviation security screening processes as a key line of defense. IATA stresses that security screening is an important layer of protection, but not a primary solution.

Well-established Dangerous Goods Regulations enable their safe passage by air. Yet, a significant number of incidents involving dangerous goods-some 80%-reported to IATA in the first half of 2025 involved undeclared or hidden dangerous goods. Lithium batteries and other concealed hazardous commodities, such as undeclared e-Cigarettes and aerosols, were among the products most commonly identified.

"Dangerous goods are transported safely by air every day. The risk comes when they enter the system undeclared or incorrectly declared. Every part of the supply chain has a role to play in identifying and stopping such incidents as soon as possible. Security screening, which is primarily focused on terror threats, is one layer of protection against rogue shippers, but it is not a complete solution. A comprehensive multi-layer approach beginning as far upstream the supply chain as possible is essential," said Brendan Sullivan, IATA's Global Head of Cargo.

Existing cargo security screening systems were designed primarily to detect explosives and other security threats, not the full range of dangerous goods.

In its white paper, Safety and Security in the Cargo Supply Chain (pdf), IATA urges the reinforcement of a multi-layered approach to combatting undeclared and mis-declared dangerous goods by calling on:

• Governments to strengthen oversight and enforcement of dangerous goods requirements across the cargo supply chain.
• Manufacturers and online marketplaces to ensure dangerous goods are correctly identified and certified (where necessary), and product information is accurate.
• Shippers, freight forwarders, and postal operators to strengthen training and acceptance controls and enhance the use of customer and shipment data to identify higher-risk cargo before it reaches the airport.
• Airlines and ground handlers to strengthen checks before cargo is loaded.
• Airports to improve coordination and information sharing across the cargo community.

> Download the white paper (pdf)

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