Flight Crew & Load Planner - Commodity Specific Requirements

Some dangerous goods require special consideration due to the type of material or substance enclosed. We will explore these commodity specific requirements over the next few slides.

Liquid Dangerous Goods

Care must be taken to follow the package orientation arrows on a "This End Up" label. Single packagings with end closures that contain liquid dangerous goods must be loaded and stowed with such closures facing upwards.

Toxic and Infectious Substances

Class 6 dangerous goods and any dangerous goods with a subsidiary toxic risk must not be stowed in the same compartment with animals, foodstuffs, feed, or other edible substances, unless both the dangerous goods and foodstuffs are loaded in separate, closed unit load devices, or in open unit load devices that are not stowed adjacent to each other.

Radioactive Material

Operators are required to provide information regarding the location and identification of cargo holds and instructions for loading radioactive materials.

In order to limit radiation exposure, radioactive materials in Categories I-White, II-Yellow, or III-Yellow must not be loaded in any compartments that are occupied by passengers or crew. Instead, they should be loaded in underfloor compartments or in the furthermost end of the main deck. In addition, appropriate segregation should be maintained when loading radioactive materials, and they should be loaded last, whenever possible.

The Transport Index is a unit for indicating the radiation level of a package that contains radioactive materials. It is used to help control the accumulation of radiation in packages that are loaded on an aircraft by providing the appropriate separation distance to minimize radiation. The Transport Index can be found in DGR Table 10.9.C.

Packages labeled as Category I-White may be loaded in unlimited quantities with no separation requirements. There is no Transport Index for these packages.

Packages labeled as Category II-Yellow or Category III-Yellow must be separated from passengers and crew. The Transport Index must appear on the label, and this number determines the separation distance.

Fissile material is rarely transported by air. It requires a label with the Criticality Safety Index (CSI). The CSI number is used to control the accumulation of packages, overpacks, and freight containers containing fissile material.

Magnetized Material

Magnetized material must be loaded so that the headings of aircraft compasses are maintained within the tolerances prescribed by the applicable aircraft airworthiness requirements and, where possible, handlers and operators should work to minimize the effects on compasses.

Dry Ice

Carbon dioxide in its solid form, commonly known as dry ice, is often shipped by itself or used as a refrigerant to maintain samples or goods in either a frozen or cold state. Dry ice may be transported by air provided the operator has made suitable arrangements dependent on the type of aircraft used, the ventilation rates, the method of packing and stowage, whether live animals are being transported on the same flight, and other factors.

The operator must inform ground staff that dry ice is being loaded or is onboard the aircraft. Adequate ventilation must be provided before personnel can enter a confined space where dry ice had been loaded or stored to prevent the risk of suffocation.

The pilot-in-command must be informed of the quantity of dry ice, including dry ice contained in unit load devices or other types of pallets through the NOTOC.

Passengers and crew must properly mark any checked baggage that contains dry ice. A dry ice baggage tag may be used by operators to help identify dry ice in checked baggage.

Cryogenic Liquids

Packages containing liquefied refrigerated gases in open and closed cryogenic receptacles are permitted provided the operator has made suitable arrangements dependent on the type of aircraft, loading temperature of other sensitive cargo, and whether live animals are being transported. Ground staff should be informed of any packages containing cryogenic liquids, and precautions should be taken to ensure that any gas buildup has time to vent before operator personnel enter the cargo compartment.

Expandable Polymeric Beads

No more than 100 kg (220 lb) net weight of expandable polymeric beads (or granules) or plastic molding materials may be carried in any inaccessible hold on an aircraft.

Live Animals with Dangerous Goods

Live animals should not be loaded near dry ice or cryogenic liquids to protect them from suffocation. Live animals should be stowed in a level above any packages containing dry ice. In addition, live animals must be separated from packages of Category II-Yellow and III-Yellow radioactive materials by at least 0.5 m for journeys less than 24 hours and 1 m for longer journeys.

To learn more about Flight Crew & Load Planner visit our IATA DGR Flight Crew & Load Planner Online Training web page.