IATA completes revision of air transport industry manuals

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it has completed the annual revision of its air transport industry manuals for cargo, ground handling, and operations, thus incorporating the updates made to many industry standards over the past year. These revisions reflect the sector’s commitment to further improving safety, introducing more sustainable operations, as well as enhancing the passenger experience and cargo handling. 

The changes include revised dangerous goods regulations. IATA said, with more than 1.25 million dangerous goods shipments being flown by air on an annual basis, it is essential that the rules and regulations allowing for the safe transport of such substances and articles are revised to reflect safety and operational developments. One focus is on lithium batteries, as consumer demand for electronic devices such as tablets and small personal mobility devices continues to grow. 

The Standard Procedures for Preloading Advanced Cargo Information (PLACI) Manual has also been updated.This now reflects additional recommendations, including for the new “Import Control System” (EU-ICS2) regulations in the European Union (EU) and future similar programmes in Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.  

Shippers, forwarders and airlines need to fully understand these processes in order to be compliant and avoid fines and the potential for delayed shipments, and be able to have goods flown to, for example, Canada, the EU, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, said IATA. 

There have also been amendments to handling procedures for the carriage of pet animals. With an increasingly mobile global population, the carriage of live animals, especially domestic pets, is also on the rise. In order to ensure animals’ welfare even during travel disruption, the handling procedures included in the Live Animals Regulations (LAR) have been updated to cover these eventualities. Additional changes have been introduced to manage pet animal transportation in extraordinary circumstances.

In total more than 350 updates have been made to the 2023 editions. “Aviation is a unique industry with its global footprint covering operations from mega-hubs, through regional airports to small and even remote airfields. Nevertheless, the same standards and procedures need to be applied across the globe, in order to maintain smooth operations and a high level of safety. The IATA manuals are the reference materials, accurately reflecting agreed global standards, which the industry abides by,” said Frederic Leger, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Commercial Products and Services.