IATA has launched DG Digital, a fully digitalised Dangerous Goods Declaration solution integrated into its DG AutoCheck platform, marking a significant step forward in the modernisation of air cargo documentation. The tool enables shippers to generate, validate and transmit declarations electronically for more than 3,800 dangerous goods categories — including lithium batteries, explosives and chemicals — eliminating the need for paper-based processes that currently account for 95% of all dangerous goods declarations received by airlines.

Under the existing workflow, paper declarations must be scanned, converted to PDF and manually uploaded for validation — a process prone to errors and delays. DG Digital creates a fully digital chain from the point of shipper creation to airline validation, cross-referencing IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations in real time to flag missing or incorrect data before the physical shipment departs.

Trials conducted in Japan with All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines and six freight forwarders yielded a rejection rate of 0.5%, compared to the current global average of 4.5% attributed to inaccurate or incomplete declarations. The solution is designed to enable standardised, transparent data exchange across all stakeholders in the air cargo supply chain, including shipping agents, freight forwarders, ground handlers and airlines.

The launch comes against a backdrop of significant growth in dangerous goods volumes, with IATA CargoIS data recording a 17.5% year-on-year increase in 2025, driven largely by rising demand for lithium battery shipments. DG AutoCheck has processed more than one million dangerous goods checks since its 2019 launch, with over a third completed in 2025 alone.

As dangerous goods volumes continue to grow — particularly lithium batteries linked to e-commerce and electric mobility — the shift to digital declarations is not merely an efficiency measure but a safety-critical modernisation with direct implications for cargo terminal operations and ground handling compliance.