Air France KLM Cargo has become the first airline group to adopt the International Air Transport Association’s newly developed Dangerous Goods AutoCheck for the acceptance of dangerous goods shipments.

DG AutoCheck is a digital solution which facilitates the acceptance of dangerous goods by checking the compliance of the Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods against all relevant rules and regulations contained in the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. Optical character-recognition technology transforms the paper DGD into electronic data. DG AutoCheck can also receive electronic declarations. The data is then processed and verified automatically using the digital version of the DGR.

Air France KLM Cargo handles more than 1.5 million shipments per year, of which 173,000 require dangerous-goods handling.

“DG AutoCheck provides a digital solution to more effectively manage the transport of dangerous goods by air for our customers while at the same time enhancing safety and compliance,” said Marcel de Nooijer [left in photo], executive vice president of Air France KLM Cargo. It is another significant step in AFKL Cargo’s commitment towards a digital transformation of the air freight business model, and we will work closely with our ground handling partners to expand the use of DG AutoCheck beyond our hubs,”.

DG AutoCheck also facilitates a ground handler’s or airline’s decision to accept or reject a shipment during the physical inspection stage by providing a pictorial representation of the package with the marking and labelling required for air transport. This is particularly beneficial for shipments of lithium batteries. Due to an increase in the transportation of lithium batteries worldwide and the differences in type, packaging and safety hazard, DG AutoCheck will help improve safety and efficiency.

“Air cargo demand is forecast to double over the next 20 years,” said Frederic Leger, director of airport, passenger, cargo and security products at IATA. “To ensure that the industry is ready to benefit from this growth, modern and harmonized standards that facilitate safe, secure and efficient operations, particularly in relation to the carriage of dangerous goods, need to be implemented. In becoming first adopters of DG AutoCheck Air France KLM Cargo are leading the way among their peers in the digital evolution of the dangerous goods supply chain and setting themselves up for future success.” 

An industry working group consisting of more than 20 global organizations such as airlines, forwarders, ground handlers and integrators is supporting the development of DG AutoCheck, according to IATA.