In order to prepare for the 2023 changes, airlines, ground service providers, freight forwarders, shippers, airports, and manufacturers amongst others need to learn the current and upcoming regulations for air cargo operations. The essential source of these changes are the IATA manuals.
The IATA manuals are published annually to stay up-to-date with the latest state and carrier regulations, industry trends as well as best practices. As a result, in order to comply with the new regulations that come into effect January 1, 2023 and to sustain the safe and efficient transport of air cargo, you should ensure to use the latest edition as the IATA manuals are updated annually. You can learn more about the IATA manuals here.
How are air cargo and ground handling operations manuals updated?
The annual update of the IATA manuals is completed through an extensive exercise undertaken by various working groups such as the Dangerous Goods Board (DGB) and the Live Animals and Perishables Board (LAPB). Each working group is comprised of IATA experts as well as other experts in that field who work with local governments and industry stakeholders to ensure that each IATA Manual contains the most updated information on the latest regulations, trends, and best practices.
Why are IATA manuals updated annually?
How many air cargo regulations, standards and best practices changes are there annually?
Every year, more than 350 changes are made to the IATA manuals. The complete list of significant changes for each manual provided below along with videos from the IATA experts who highlight the most pertinent changes.
GET YOUR 2023 IATA MANUAL: In order to comply with the new regulations and sustain the safe and efficient transport of air cargo, you should be using the latest editions of the IATA Manuals. Order today
What's new in the dangerous goods manuals?
What has changed in the Dangerous Goods Regulations this year?
The latest edition of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) is the 64th edition.
To download the complete list of significant changes, please visit the IATA DGR webpage.
You can also learn more about the transport of dangerous goods via air by reading this article.
What has changed in the Lithium Battery Shipping Regulations this year?
The latest edition of the Lithium Battery Shipping Regulations (LBSR) is the 10th edition.
You can also learn more about the transport of lithium batteries via air by reading this article.
What has changed in the 2022/2023 Infectious Substances Shipping Regulations?
(previously named The Infectious Substances Shipping Guidelines)
The latest edition of Infectious Substances Shipping Regulations (ISSR) is the 17th edition.
What's new in the special cargo manuals?
What has changed in the Live Animals Regulations this year?
The latest edition of the Live Animals Regulations (LAR) is the 49th edition, and the 2023 changes include:
- New section 8.1.4,1 on Sedation, Tranquilization, and use of Psychoactive Drugs.
- Revised container requirement 2, as well as amendments to the general container requirements for Aquatics
- Amendments to Handling Procedures related to best practices for operators when accepting pet animals ahead of scheduled departure time,
- Clarified general loading procedures and specific handling procedures for horses.
- New training requirements for aircraft and ground handling personnel.
To download the complete list of significant changes, please visit the IATA LAR webpage.
What has changed in the Perishable Cargo Regulations Manual this year?
The latest edition of the Perishable Cargo Regulations Manual is the 22nd edition.
What has changed in the Temperature Control Regulations this year?
The latest edition of the Temperature Contrrol Regulations Manual is the 11th edition.
What has changed in the Compassionate Transportation Manual this year?
The latest edition of the Compassionate Transportation Manual (CTM) is the 3rd edition, and the 2023 changes include:
- Updated State & Operator information which is critically important to ensure specific requirements are clear to avoid delays and offloading of this sensitive cargo.
- CTM checklist is now downloadable, printable, and, fillable to assist all parties in the supply chain to ensure the smooth transit of compassionate transportation shipments.
- New information is available on Sustainable and Environmentally friendly containers to assist you with the introduction of lightweight and biodegradable material manufacturers are developing, and to also help reduce costs and promote a sustainable air transport industry.
What's new in the ground operations manuals?
What has changed in the Airport Handling Manual this year?
The latest edition of the Airport Handling Manual (AHM) is the 43rd edition, and the 2023 changes include:
- Major Revisions to the AHM 810 Standard Ground Handling Agreement:
- AHM 820: Standards Ground Handling Subcontracting Agreement has been updated to align with the new SGHA 2023
- New AHM 908: Autonomous Vehicles – guideline for the autonomous vehicle to be able to operate airside, risk assessment included in the toolbox
- AHM 917: Complete revision to now include GSE maintenance checklists for each type of GSE
- AHM 921: Changes introduced to address some safety concerns raised by the industry related to boarding and deboarding passengers with reduced mobility
- AHM 926, 927: Changes addressing safety concerns for catering vehicle operations
- AHM 1110: Overall update of the ramp handling training modules and alignment with the IGOM Ed.12 changes: Update of the passenger, and ramp handling job functions and matching them with training matrices in 11.2; Update of the Load Control modules and job functions; Introduction of a new layout/structure for training management; and Identification of the training industry Best Practices to be implemented by companies and to differentiate it from guidance.
You can also learn more about the top ways to safely improve the efficiency of aircraft turnaround with standardized procedures by reading this article.
What has changed in the IATA Ground Operations Manual this year?
The latest edition of the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) is the 12th edition, and the 2023 changes arise from the review of the Ground Operations Standards Working Group (GOS) of Chapters 3 and 4.
Some of these major revisions include:
- Chapter 3, 3.1 Ramp Safety in Aircraft Handling - An entire revision of section to improve accuracy, consistency, and alignment of process flow; enhancement of safety precautions; and revision of each subsection within General ramp safety and GSE operations
- Chapter 4, changes to sections
- 4.1 Aircraft Arrival - Section Revised to align with the arrival activities process flow
- 4.2 Aircraft Chocking - Inclusion of action to be taken when aircraft is parked on a slope.
- 4.4 Aircraft Access Doors - Entire Revision of the section to improve consistency and accuracy of operating aircraft access doors for both cabin access doors and cargo hold access doors.
- 4.5 Aircraft Loading and Unloading - Entire Revision of the section to include unloading processes as well as improve consistency and accuracy of aircraft loading and unloading process.
- 4.6 Aircraft Departure - Entire Revision of the section to improve consistency and accuracy of aircraft ground movement process.
- 4.9 Aircraft Towing - Numbering changes and in 4.9.4 Content Revision, operational procedure enhanced for use of apron lines, safety distance, and relieve of torsional stress on landing gears during towing maneuver.
What's new in the cargo operations manuals?
What has changed in the ULD Regulations this year?
The 11th edition of the ULD Regulations (ULDR) is effective as of 1 January 2023, which includes the following significant changes:
- Throughout the ULDR all references to ‘Carrier’ and ‘Airline’ have been changed to ‘Operator’ to align with ICAO and all version letters of SAE standards in general references have been deleted.
- Section 2: Addition of Airbus A350 cargo hold cross-section drawing as well as the information on its acceptable pallet sizes
- Section 4, SS 40/1 Attachment ‘A’: Addition of Airbus A350 to the relevant aircraft acceptability information
- Section 6, OS 6/02: Clarification of the requirements for net attachment point locations
- Section 7 SS 40/3: Clarification of ODLN for certified aircraft ULD and improvement on ODLN standard formats
- Section 10: Complete deletion of current contents as standards for ‘Non-Aircraft Modular Load Units’ as they are not only outside the scope of ULDR but also no longer in use or supported in the industry
- Appendix H: Improvements to the illustration of ULD components and sub-components
You can also learn more about ULDs by reading this article.
What has changed in the IATA Cargo Handling Manual this year?
The latest edition of the IATA Cargo Handling Manual (ICHM) is the 7th edition.
What has changed in the Cargo-XML Toolkit this year?
The latest edition of the Cargo-XML Toolkit is the 11th edition.
What has changed in the Preloading Advance Cargo Information this year?
The latest edition of the Preloading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI) is the 4th edition, and the 2023 changes include:
- A new section with General Recommendations
- Additional details on the following PLACI programs:
- Risk Assessment updates to mail parcels: This latest edition expands on the cooperation between postal and airline services to facilitate the mail data filing business process and the alignment of mail and cargo messaging.
