The International Air Transport Association has 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 defence. IATA stresses that security screening is an important layer of protection but not a primary solution. A significant number of incidents involving dangerous goods some 80pc 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.
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 IATA urges the reinforcement of a multi-layered approach to combatting undeclared and mis-declared dangerous goods. The paper calls on governments to strengthen oversight and enforcement manufacturers and online marketplaces to ensure dangerous goods are correctly identified and certified shippers freight forwarders and postal operators to strengthen training and acceptance controls airlines and ground handlers to strengthen checks before cargo is loaded and airports to improve coordination and information sharing across the cargo community.
Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo, shared: “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.”
