When Are Cargo Aircraft Only Labels Required?

From the first moment I saw a Cargo Aircraft Only Label back in October of 2016, I couldn’t help but think of Halloween. Between the unusual looking large hand and of course the orange and black colors, this label will forever remind me of the popular fall holiday. But don’t let the cartoon like imagery fool you, this label is a lot more serious than it looks. As a matter of fact, if you are required to use this label and you don’t, your dangerous goods shipment can turn into a true nightmare.

What are Cargo Aircraft Only Labels?

Cargo Aircraft Only labels indicate that a dangerous goods shipment is exclusively for a cargo only flight and does not contain any passengers. A passenger aircraft as defined by IATA is an aircraft that carries any person other than a crew member, an operator’s employee in an official capacity, an authorized representative of an appropriate national authority or a person accompanying a consignment or other cargo. The use of Cargo Aircraft Only Labels helps streamline the handling process at airports, ensuring that specific dangerous goods cargo doesn’t end up on a passenger flight. These labels help prevent potential mishandling or confusion that could arise during transit. IATA has specific guidelines regarding the size and colors of this label at 7.4.2 calling for minimum dimensions of 120mm x 110mm and the for the label to display black and pantone 151U orange. If this label is required for your shipment, it must be placed on the same surface of the package near the hazard class label per 7.2.6.3 In IATA. For Example:

When Do I Need to Use the Cargo Aircraft Only Label?

Per 7.2.4.2 in IATA, the “Cargo Aircraft Only” label must appear on packages containing dangerous goods that are permitted only on cargo aircraft. In order to determine if it is required or not, you would have to go to the List of Dangerous Goods in IATA located at 4.2. Once you have located the dangerous goods you will be shipping in this section, you should go to the column that says Passenger and Cargo Aircraft. Here it will tell you the maximum net quantity per package that is allowed on a passenger/cargo aircraft. In the example below it says that the maximum quantity allowed is 25 KG net total per package. In addition, you must also go into the specific packing instruction, in this case 860, to determine if the inner containers that you are using would also meet the net quantity limits. In the example below, if you are shipping 30KG net weight of calcium oxide in your outer packaging, that would exceed the 25KG threshold listed below, and you would have to ship the dangerous goods on a cargo aircraft only and go to packing instruction 864 for further details.

In cases like these, the Cargo Aircraft Only Label would be required on the outer packaging near the hazard class label. In addition, if it says “Forbidden” in the passenger and cargo aircraft section, you must ship the dangerous goods Cargo Aircraft Only as well. In either case, failure to use the Cargo Aircraft Only labels could potentially result in delays and fines. There may be some cases that the packing instruction number and the permitted quantity per package are identical for both passenger/cargo and cargo aircraft only, and in those cases the “Cargo Aircraft Only” label should not be used.

If you do need to ship your dangerous goods on a cargo only aircraft, look no more, here at ICC The Compliance Center we sell Cargo Aircraft Only Labels that are fully compliant with the IATA regulations. Our team can help your business stay compliant and informed through our resources and products. Contact us to learn more about the ICC difference.