Carriage of dangerous goods

Anyone transporting dangerous goods by air must comply with the regulations and requirements to ensure safety.

What are dangerous goods

Dangerous goods are articles or substances that can be a hazard to health, safety, property or the environment when transported by air.

Many everyday items fall into this category. Lithium batteries, aerosol cans, and compressed gas cylinders are some examples.

If not properly declared, packed or handled, dangerous goods may leak hazardous contents, give off flammable or toxic fumes, ignite a fire, or even explode due to vibrations or changes to air pressure and temperature, when transported by air. 

To transport them safely, it is important to observe the regulations and requirements.

Who must ensure safe transport of dangerous goods?

The following parties are responsible for ensuring safe transport of dangerous goods in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organization Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions):

• shippers and their agents (including freight forwarders and packaging service providers)

• air operators and their agents (including ground handling agents and cargo sales agents)

CAAS enforces the dangerous goods regulations. As safe transport of dangerous goods is critical, non-compliance by any person is an offence and can lead to fines or imprisonment under the Air Navigation (92 — Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Regulations 2022.

What are the responsibilities of shippers and freight forwarders?

Shippers and freight forwarders must ensure:

• all articles or substances transported are allowed to be transported by air

• dangerous goods to be transported are correctly:

  • classified

  • identified

  • packed

  • marked and labelled

  • accompanied by a Dangerous Goods Transport Document (also known as the Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods), in compliance with the ICAO Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air

• employees handling dangerous goods are appropriately trained and kept current with regulatory requirements

For details, refer to:

• AC 92-2-4 Advisory circular on guidance on fulfilling a shipper's responsibilities

• AC 92-3-1 Advisory circular on competency-based dangerous goods training programme

What are the responsibilities of air operators?

Air operators are responsible for:

• accepting dangerous goods

• storing dangerous goods before loading and after unloading the goods from the aircraft

• loading of dangerous goods, including segregating, stowing and securing them on board the aircraft

• inspecting dangerous goods packages to ensure that they comply with the technical instructions before loading and after unloading

• providing passengers and crew with dangerous goods information, including emergency response information to train the crew to handle dangerous goods incidents and accidents

• reporting dangerous goods incidents and accidents to CAAS and the State of Occurrence

• retaining dangerous goods documentation records

• training employees - for details, refer to the AC 92-3-1 Advisory circular on competency-based dangerous goods training programme

Permits to carry dangerous goods

Who must apply

Air operators intending to transport dangerous goods as cargo to or from Singapore, namely:

• civil aircraft flying to and from Singapore

• Singapore-registered aircraft (wherever they may be)

When to apply

You should apply for the permit at least 7 days before the date of the intended carriage.

There are 2 types of permits as summarised by the table below:

How to apply and renew your permit

Who must provide training to handle dangerous goods

The following persons or organisations involved in the carriage of dangerous goods by air must establish and maintain initial and recurrent training programmes:

• shippers of dangerous goods, including packers and persons/organisations undertaking the shipper's responsibilities

• operators of Singapore-registered aircraft

• ground handling agencies that perform cargo, mail or stores operations (accepting, handling, loading, unloading, transferring or other processing) on behalf of the operator

• ground handling agencies located at airports that process passengers on behalf of the operator

• agencies not located at airports that check in passengers on behalf of the operator

• every public postal operator

What are the training requirements

Training programmes must:

• comply with requirements specified in the ICAO Technical Instructions

• include both initial and recurrent training components

• cover all employees involved in handling dangerous goods, including appointed service providers

What records must be maintained

Employers are required to maintain dangerous goods training records of their employees in accordance with the requirements of the ICAO Technical Instructions.

What approvals are needed

Operators of Singapore-registered aircraft, ground handling agents and aviation security screening service providers providing dangerous goods training to employees must submit their training programmes to CAAS for approval.

For more information, refer to AC 92-3-1 Advisory circular on competency-based dangerous goods training programme.

Legislation, circulars and advisories

• International Civil Aviation Organization Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air (ICAO Technical Instructions)

• AC 92-2-4 Advisory circular on guidance on fulfilling a shipper's responsibilities

• AC 92-3-1 Advisory circular on competency-based dangerous goods training programme

Contact information

Flight Standards Division
CAAS_Dangerousgoods@caas.gov.sg