Dangerous Goods

Acceptance

Air Transat Cargo will accept for carriage on passenger flights dangerous goods cargo from shippers and/or agents that respect the rules and regulations of the current edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR) and/or of the countries involved in the routing of the shipment, when these regulations are more specific than IATA. Each station will need to confirm that they have the current edition of the IATA DGR in place, by answering the station self-audit that will need to be filled not less than once each 12-month period.

Agents and handling facilities must take note that Air Transat Cargo will accept for carriage dangerous goods of the following classes only:

• Class 2 – Gases
• Class 3 – Flammable liquids
• Class 8 – Corrosives
• Class 9 – Miscellaneous dangerous goods

Dangerous shipments of the above classes must be packed and presented in accordance with the Dangerous Goods Regulations and must be in a quantity accepted on passenger aircraft. Each station must have on hand the current edition of IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. The checklist used for acceptance is the one presented in the IATA DGR book.

Only trained personnel are allowed to handle dangerous goods shipments. These employees have successfully achieved the required training from an accredited IATA dangerous goods school.

The following rules are observed when accepting dangerous goods for carriage:

• The shipment is from classes 2, 3, 8 or 9. Otherwise, the shipment must be rejected;
• Check that the documents conform to IATA regulations. (See Chapter 8 of the DGR book);
• Check if the shipment is booked with the local representative and if all concerned parties are aware of the nature of the goods;
• Ensure the cargo is in good condition. Any sign of irregularity must be reported at the time of acceptance and freight immediately refused. The Air Transat Cargo station representative must be advised of freight rejection and motives for the rejection;
• Check the number of pieces presented against the delivery documents;
• Check that all packages are correctly marked, labelled and packed, as per 7.1.2. All markings and transport documents must be in English, in addition to the language of the state of origin;
• Check package weight and dimensions;
• Ensure that the dangerous goods checklist is issued and that all points are marked YES. If not, freight must be immediately refused for carriage on the aircraft. The Air Transat Cargo station representative must be advised and freight placed in a secure area until further notice;
• Ensure the shipment is listed on the special load notification to the flight captain. (NOTOC)

Shipments consisting of dangerous goods cannot be loaded in the cabin or flight deck. All dangerous goods cargo must be loaded in the cargo hold of the aircraft with the Notification to Captain form (NOTOC) filled and submitted for approval before flight departure.

Documentation

Shipper’s declaration

Shippers of dangerous goods are required to complete a Dangerous Goods Transport document.

In practice, this document is known as the “Shipper’s Declaration”, which is a red hatched letter sized document. This declaration must accompany the Air Waybill and the goods at all times. The declaration will, in the event of an incident, greatly assist in determining an appropriate response.

The shipper must provide two copies of this document as per IATA, but Air Transat Cargo demands a minimum of 3 copies or more, depending on the number of transit points before goods arrive at their final destination. The first copy will be retained by an aircraft operator at a location on the ground. It shall be possible for the handler or an authorized aerodrome employee to obtain access to it within a reasonable period. The other copies shall accompany the dangerous goods to the final destination.

Before a cargo agent accepts a shipment of dangerous goods for carriage by air, they must complete a Dangerous Goods Checklist (provided in the IATA DGR). This is designed to ensure that the shipper has applied the relevant packaging, identification and documentation regulations for the consignment. The dangerous goods checklist must have all points marked YES. If not, freight must be immediately refused for carriage on the aircraft. The Air Transat Cargo station representative must be advised and freight placed in a secure area until further notice.

Special load notification to captain (NOTOC)

For special loads, the Pilot-in-Command shall be given, as early as possible before flight departure, written information concerning the dangerous goods loaded on board the aircraft. The confirmation must state the UN number, proper shipping name, class or division, packing group (degree of danger) and quantity per package of all dangerous goods carried. It must also state the exact loading position on the aircraft of the dangerous goods. The information must also include confirmation that no evidence of damage and/or leakage was found at the time of loading. The special load notification to Captain (NOTOC) form must be signed by the Captain, thereby accepting to transport the consignment indicated. One copy of the NOTOC is kept with the Flight Envelope, another one remains at the departure station. Copies of NOTOC must be in sufficient number to follow the dangerous goods until their final point of offloading.

The NOTOC shall be readily available on arrival if required by agents at destination.

Cargo manifest

The cargo manifest as supplied by the cargo agent must show any dangerous goods being shipped on a flight, although the only information given is the three-letter category code. (IMP Codes, shown in Classification section IATA DGR 2)

All dangerous goods shipments must have:

• Master Air Waybill completed correctly, in accordance with the current IATA rules and regulations;
• The relevant security documents required by the local authorities and the security section of the Cargo Operation Manual;
• Dangerous goods certificate (DGD) that will be kept with the completed Dangerous Good Checklist for further review if needed;
• All documents in sufficient number and completed in order to comply with the dangerous nature of the shipment.

These documents and the Captain Notifications -NOTOC- shall be retained at each station and kept in accordance with IATA regulations and/or local authorities for future review. Copies must be sent to Air Transat Cargo for all documentation.

Identification

Every station must verify all dangerous goods packages tendered at their facility. It is requested that only the recommended dangerous goods checklist provided by IATA be used. Under no condition must a shipment be accepted or refused before the checklist is completed, and all items must be verified in accordance with the rules of the current edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations book by IATA. Each package must show:

• The proper shipping name of the contents as per chapter 4 of IATA DGR;
• The UN or ID number;
• The full name and address of the shipper and consignee;
• The hazard labels legibly affixed on the boxes;
• The correct specification markings if required;
• The package orientation labels on combination packages and over packs containing liquids;
• A valid dangerous goods handling label located on the same face as the proper shipping name and relevant markings;
• Net and gross quantity.

Under no conditions must cargo be accepted without proper labelling. The dangerous goods specialist firm at location will provide labels at each station. In the case of labels that are detached, lost or rendered illegible during transit, the station where such occurrence is noted will need to report these findings to the origin station. The shipper and/or consignee will need to be contacted for further instructions. The freight will only be able to transit once a label is affixed by a dangerous goods specialist appointed by the shipper or the consignee. If needed, the local station will contact a local dangerous goods specialist to ensure accurate replacement of dangerous goods handling labels.

General Information

IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations

These regulations provide internationally agreed standards and practices on handling, acceptance, stowage, packing, marking and documentation of dangerous goods. These steps must be followed in order to ensure the safe transportation by air of these articles. If one of the applicable requirements is not met, these goods may become a serious risk to the safety of the aircraft, passengers, crew and ground handling personnel, as well as to the environment. All stages of handling must always be carried out by certified employees in order to ensure the safe handling of freight, and all considerations must be taken to avoid any incident with the shipment. The current version of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations must be available for reference in the facilities accepting, handling and storing dangerous goods.

Multiple hazards

If dangerous goods meet the definition of more than one hazard class or division, all hazards must be considered when determining any loading segregation requirements.

Dangerous Goods as Cargo

Requirements

• The proper shipping name of the contents as per chapter 4 of IATA DGR;
• The UN or ID number;
• The full name and address of the shipper and consignee on documents and freight;
• The hazard labels legibly affixed on the boxes;
• The correct specification markings, if required;
• The package orientation labels on combination packages and over packs containing liquids;
• The valid dangerous goods handling label located on the same face as the proper shipping name and relevant markings;
• The net and gross quantity.

Restrictions

Air Transat holds approval to carry Dangerous Goods within class 2, 3, 8 and 9. In no instance does Air Transat hold approval to carry Dangerous Goods in classes 1 (Explosives) and 7 (Radioactive) or items classified as Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO). The classes 4, 5, 6 are not allowed on board any of Air Transat’s aircraft.

Due to training requirements for carriage of dangerous goods, Air Transat Cargo only admits dangerous goods cargo to be transported on aircraft departing from Air Transat Cargo approved stations.

If a dangerous goods shipment is required to be shipped from an airport not shown in the Appendix, the station representative will have to provide Air Transat Cargo full details on the trained personnel that will accept and handle the shipment, as well as the full name and contact of the school who conducted their training for dangerous goods cargo acceptance. Only after review and acceptance of the provided information will cargo be accepted for carriage and the list updated.