Undeclared dangerous goods account for over 80% of air‑cargo incidents, lithium batteries

Based on · First reported 3 Oct 2026

IATA data shows more than 80% of dangerous‑goods occurrences reported to the association involved undeclared dangerous goods, and data for January‑June 2025 indicated that 81% of reported incidents were undeclared or hidden dangerous goods.
Lithium batteries are identified as a principal concern among undeclared dangerous goods, with power banks, replacement batteries and electronic devices singled out for required checks, while e‑commerce sellers operating from homes, retail outlets or small warehouses may not recognise that a product contains dangerous goods, making compliance harder and allowing such products to enter the transport network without proper identification, declaration, labelling or preparation.

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