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By Dave Brennan
From 1 January 2027, the 68th edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations will become the industry reference document used for the transport of dangerous goods by air.
The 68th edition will reflect changes adopted into the 2027-2028 edition of the International Civil Aviation Organization Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air, Doc 9284. These changes include updates adopted for air transport from the 24th revised edition of the United Nations Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, Model Regulations, as well as specific air transport changes agreed by the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel.
The current 67th edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations remains valid through 31 December 2026. After that date, shippers, freight forwarders, operators and ground handlers will need to ensure their procedures, training, checklists and documentation are aligned with the 68th edition.
This article looks at the changes adopted for Section 1, Applicability, and Section 2, Limitations. Subsequent articles will address the remaining sections of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and explain what the changes mean for the different entities in the air cargo supply chain.
Section 1: Applicability
Section 1 sets the foundation for how the Dangerous Goods Regulations apply. The 2027 changes include updates to exemptions, exceptions and training terminology.
1.2.6 Exemptions
Note 1 under paragraph 1.2.6.2 has been amended to include a new sentence dealing with Remotely Piloted Aircraft System operations.
For RPAS operations, exemptions may also be required from other States, including the State of the Remote Station or the State of the Remote Pilot, where those States have informed ICAO through a State variation.
This change forms part of a broader set of amendments adopted by the ICAO Dangerous Goods Panel for the 2027-2028 edition of the Technical Instructions. The change supports the adoption of the new Part IV, International Operations, Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, into ICAO Annex 6, Operation of Aircraft.
For operators and compliance teams, the practical point is that RPAS dangerous goods operations may require consideration beyond the State of the Operator or State of Origin. Where relevant State variations have been notified, the State of the Remote Station or State of the Remote Pilot may also need to be considered before an exemption position is treated as complete.
1.2.7 Exceptions
The exceptions from the provisions of the Dangerous Goods Regulations have also been revised.
The allowance for dangerous goods carried on an aircraft to preserve blood or blood components for transfusion during flight has been extended.
The exceptions for data loggers and cargo tracking devices have also been revised to include devices powered by sodium-ion cells or batteries. The relevant Watt-hour rating identified in this change is 20 Wh, aligned with the existing lithium-ion context described in the draft.
This is a practical development for operators, forwarders and ground handlers because data loggers and tracking devices are now embedded in many cargo movements. The regulatory treatment of the power source needs to be reflected in acceptance checks, shipper guidance, booking systems and internal dangerous goods procedures.
1.5 Training requirements
Paragraph 1.5.1.1.2 has also been revised.
The current wording specifies that all operators must establish a dangerous goods training program, regardless of whether they have an approval to transport dangerous goods as cargo. The revised wording replaces “approval” with “specific approval”.
This aligns the DGR wording with ICAO Annex 6, Operation of Aircraft, where “specific approval” refers to an approval documented in the Operations Specification for Commercial Air Transport.
This is not just a wording change. It is a terminology alignment that matters for operators, auditors and training program owners. Training obligations need to be read consistently with the approvals framework used in aircraft operations documentation.
Section 2: Limitations
Section 2 deals with limitations on the carriage of dangerous goods by air. The 2027 changes include important updates for dangerous goods carried by passengers and crew, dangerous goods in the post, and dangerous goods carried as operator property.
2.3 Dangerous goods carried by passengers and crew
Paragraph 2.3.0.1 continues to limit the carriage of dangerous goods by passengers and crew to those items shown in paragraphs 2.3.2 to 2.3.5 for personal use.
A new note has been added to clarify what “personal use” means.
In practical terms, “personal use” may include more than items owned or used directly by the passenger. It may also include items intended for use by others, such as gifts, portable electronic devices provided by employers for work-related activities, or medical devices carried by device providers or medical professionals for imminent patient care.
However, “personal use” does not include items carried for sale or distribution.
This clarification is important because passenger and crew provisions are often interpreted in real time at check-in, during screening, at boarding, or during cabin interactions. The clearer definition should support more consistent decisions about what is genuinely personal use and what is commercial carriage, distribution or supply.
2.4 Transport of dangerous goods by post
Paragraph 2.4.4 currently refers to a designated postal operator requiring a “specific approval” from the civil aviation authority before accepting lithium batteries contained in equipment.
To remove confusion with the terminology used in Annex 6, this wording has been amended to refer to an “authorisation”.
The distinction matters because “specific approval” has a particular meaning in the aircraft operations context. Using “authorisation” for designated postal operators should reduce the risk of misunderstanding between postal operators, civil aviation authorities and those applying the DGR in postal acceptance environments.
2.5 Dangerous goods in operator's property
Paragraph 2.5.1.5, Battery-Powered Electronic Equipment, has been revised.
The provisions relating to operators carrying electronic devices powered by lithium batteries, and spare lithium batteries for that equipment, now include specific reference to operators being able to carry power banks.
The previous simple reference to paragraph 2.3.5.8 has been replaced with more specific requirements. These include protecting spare lithium batteries and power banks from short circuit, and protecting equipment from inadvertent operation.
This change should help operators by making the applicable requirements more visible within the operator’s property provisions. It also reinforces a practical compliance principle: batteries, power banks and electronic equipment need to be managed not only by reference to classification and quantity limits, but also by how they are protected, secured and controlled during transport.
Compliance readiness: training cycles, checklists and system rules
The biggest risk with a January effective date is not only the regulatory change itself. It is fragmented implementation.
Dangerous goods shipments often involve multiple parties, including manufacturers, third-party logistics providers, freight forwarders, airlines and ground handlers. If each party interprets or implements the 68th edition differently, the result can be delays, rejections, rework and, in the worst case, undeclared or non-compliant consignments entering the air transport system.
The preparation work should begin before the formal changeover.
Key preparation actions
- Update procedures before the changeover.
During Q3 and Q4 2026, businesses should update standard operating procedures, work instructions, acceptance checklists and exception criteria for the 68th edition of the DGR. Training providers should also be asked to confirm that their materials are mapped to the 2027 effective provisions. - Refresh system rules and dangerous goods data.
Dangerous goods master data tables, marking and labelling logic, and system validation rules should be reviewed. This includes any new or revised marks or labels, and any conditions where the Shipper’s Declaration must show a specific special provision. - Control templates and obsolete forms.
Outdated Shipper’s Declaration templates, handling note templates and controlled forms should be retired. Controlled documents stored in SharePoint, quality systems or local folders should not allow superseded forms to continue being used after the changeover. - Run operational trials.
Businesses should test a small set of mock consignments through the acceptance process before the effective date. Battery and battery-in-equipment scenarios are particularly useful because they test marks, labels, documentation fields, system validation and staff interpretation at the same time. - Set a clear cutover rule.
Consignments tendered in late December can create ambiguity. Businesses should decide whether their internal cutover rule will be based on date of acceptance, date of flight or another defined trigger. That position should be consistent with internal policy, customer contracts and partner arrangements.
Where to verify the final requirements
For authoritative text, businesses should use the print or online version of the 68th edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, including any addenda or corrigenda.
Industry summaries are useful for identifying what has changed and where attention is needed, but the compliance position should always be anchored to the IATA-published edition in force.
Final reflection
Preparation for the 2027 changeover should treat dangerous goods compliance as a data-quality issue as much as a packaging issue.
If marks, documents and system validations cannot reliably produce and check the correct UN numbers, labels, marks and special-provision triggers, the January changeover is likely to appear first as cargo disruption. Only later will it appear as an audit issue.
The businesses that manage the transition well will be those that update procedures, train their people, test their systems and align their partners before the 68th edition takes effect.
