IATA has unveiled DG Digital at its World Cargo Symposium in Lima, introducing a new electronic Dangerous Goods Declaration solution designed to simplify compliance and improve safety across air cargo supply chains.
The tool is part of IATA’s DG AutoCheck platform and fully digitalizes the creation, approval and transmission of declarations for more than 3,800 dangerous items, including lithium batteries, chemicals and explosives.
IATA said the launch addresses one of the sector’s most persistent inefficiencies: around 95% of Dangerous Goods Declarations are still received in paper form. In the current model, these documents must be scanned, converted into PDF and uploaded for validation. DG Digital removes that step by enabling data to be created, shared and checked electronically from the outset.
By cross-referencing IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations, the system can help users identify missing or incorrect data before the shipment reaches the airline, reducing the risk of delay, rejection or fines.
The results from a trial in Japan suggest the impact could be significant. According to IATA, only 0.5% of dangerous goods shipments were rejected during the pilot after digital validation, compared with the current global average rejection rate of 4.5%. The Japanese trial involved ANA, JAL and six freight forwarders, including Nippon Express and Yusen Logistics.
DG AutoCheck itself has now completed more than one million dangerous goods checks since launching in 2019, with more than a third of them carried out last year alone. IATA CargoIS data also showed a 17.5% increase in dangerous goods shipments during 2025, driven largely by rising lithium battery demand.
Frederic Leger, IATA’s senior vice president for product and services, said the new tool gives all stakeholders access to the same declaration data and helps resolve issues before the cargo is physically handed over.
The launch also reflects a wider theme at this year’s World Cargo Symposium, where digitalisation and AI have dominated many of the discussions around future efficiency gains in airfreight.
