IATA has launched DG Digital, a new digital Dangerous Goods Declaration solution within DG AutoCheck, designed to improve the way dangerous goods documentation is created, shared, and validated across the air cargo supply chain.
The new tool digitalizes the shipper’s declaration process for more than 3,800 dangerous goods items, including lithium batteries, chemicals, and explosives. This is an important step for the industry, as IATA notes that around 95% of Dangerous Goods Declarations are still received in paper format, requiring manual scanning, conversion, upload, and validation.
With DG Digital, declarations can now be generated and transmitted electronically from the shipper through to validation. By cross-checking data against IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations, the system helps identify missing or incorrect information before the shipment reaches the airline, reducing delays, rejected shipments, safety risks, and potential fines.
The launch follows successful trials in Japan, where digital validation reduced dangerous goods shipment rejections to 0.5%, compared with the current global average of 4.5% caused by incomplete or inaccurate declarations.
For the NAP ecosystem, this development highlights a major priority for air cargo logistics: safer, cleaner, and more standardized data exchange. As dangerous goods volumes continue to grow, especially with rising lithium battery demand, digital tools like DG Digital can help freight forwarders, ground handlers, airlines, and logistics partners work with greater speed, compliance, and confidence.
