IATA has warned that undeclared dangerous goods present a growing risk to air cargo operations, as e-commerce volumes climb and screening regimes strain to keep pace with parcel flows moving through global freight networks.

The airline trade association issued the warning as part of its ongoing safety oversight of cargo operations, pointing to a persistent pattern of shippers misdeclaring or failing to declare hazardous contents — including lithium batteries, flammable liquids and other regulated materials — in consignments tendered to airlines.

The risk is not theoretical. Undeclared dangerous goods that enter the air cargo system circumvent the handling, packaging and segregation requirements that apply under international dangerous goods regulations. When such shipments are loaded aboard passenger aircraft or freighters without the crew, ground handlers or carriers knowing their contents, the consequences can range from ground incidents to in-flight fires.

Lithium batteries have long been the flashpoint in this debate. Carriage of lithium-ion and lithium-metal cells is regulated because of their propensity to ignite and burn fiercely when damaged, defective or improperly packed. IATA has repeatedly pressed governments to close gaps in oversight of battery manufacturing, testing and shipment, arguing that enforcement begins well upstream of the airport.

The growth of cross-border e-commerce has amplified the exposure. High volumes of small parcels, often consolidated and tendered by intermediaries with limited visibility into the contents of individual items, make detection of undeclared hazardous materials harder at acceptance points. Freight forwarders and ground handlers apply the first line of screening, but the sheer throughput of e-commerce traffic tests the effectiveness of those controls.

For airlines, the stakes are operational as much as safety-related. A dangerous goods incident can ground an aircraft, trigger investigations, disrupt schedules and expose carriers to liability. For handlers and forwarders, acceptance checks and staff training are the principal defence against misdeclared shipments entering the network.

IATA's position places responsibility across the supply chain: shippers must accurately declare and package dangerous goods, forwarders must verify documentation, and states must enforce the regulations that govern the trade. The association has argued that penalties for violations need to be meaningful enough to change shipper behaviour.

The warning comes as the air cargo industry continues to handle near-record volumes following the pandemic-era boom, with e-commerce traffic from Asia a significant driver of capacity demand on key lanes. Higher load factors and tighter capacity raise the cost of any incident that removes an aircraft or a terminal from service.

IATA has not indicated that the warning stems from a single recent incident. Rather, it reflects accumulated evidence from regulatory reporting and industry audits that undeclared and misdeclared dangerous goods continue to surface in the system despite existing controls.

How effectively carriers, forwarders and regulators respond will shape the risk profile of a cargo network that is moving more parcels, from more shippers, through more consolidation points than at any point in its history.