Why use the IATA manuals?

While the IATA manuals are necessary for compliance with international legislation, user feedback from small to large companies has shown that they are also useful in improving operational performance and reducing risks. As a reliable source for international standards, the IATA manuals have become the primary source of information for air cargo and ground operations standards.

From relying on the IATA manuals to ensure that local and international procedures follow the regulations to using them as a definitive reference for when shipments have been incorrectly rejected, the IATA manuals have become essential tools for all types of use. 

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91% of manufacturers avoided custom delays due to incorrect labelling or documentation

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89% of freight forwarders experienced a reduction in errors 

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86% of ground service providers were able to reduce the risk of aircraft damage

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84% of airlines improved their cargo handling operations

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81% of all users avoided fines related to air cargo shipments

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2023 UPDATES: IATA manuals include all necessary information about new regulations taking effect as of January 1, 2023 and how they impact the shipment and handling of air cargo.

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Dangerous goods


DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS (DGR)

DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS (DGR)

64th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Airlines, freight forwarders, ground handlers and shippers like you rely on the IATA DGR every day to make sure dangerous goods are transported safely.

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Available in following languages:

English French German Spanish Russian Chinese Japanese
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LITHIUM BATTERY SHIPPING regulations (LBSR)

LITHIUM BATTERY SHIPPING regulations (LBSR)

10th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Lithium batteries, if not properly designed and manufactured can fail and catch fire. To help address this, we’ve put together the LBSR; a manual with all the information manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, freight forwarders and others in the supply chain need to ensure compliance when shipping lithium batteries.

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Available in following languages:

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INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES SHIPPING REGULATIONS (ISSR)

INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCES SHIPPING REGULATIONS (ISSR)

17th Edition – Effective 1 January 2021 – 31 December 2023

The ISSR includes all the detailed provisions applicable to shipping infectious substances efficiently and safely. Critical shipments that are transported for laboratory tests, being delayed due to non-compliance or other shipping problems could mean a delay to initiating the necessary public health response or identifying the treatment required for a patient.

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Available in following languages:

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Special Cargo


PERISHABLE CARGO REGULATIONS (PCR)

PERISHABLE CARGO REGULATIONS (PCR)

22nd Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Fast, reliable perishable shipping is the backbone of the food and flower businesses. Failures along the cold chain, which can be catastrophic for small businesses, are usually due to improper labelling or poor packaging. The PCR has all the up-to-date, best-practice information you need to develop loss-minimizing perishable shipping processes.

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Available in following languages:

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TEMPERATURE CONTROL REGULATIONS (TCR)

TEMPERATURE CONTROL REGULATIONS (TCR)

11th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Transporting vaccines, blood and medication quickly and safely is more important now than ever. Not only are the products themselves time and temperature sensitive, but the people they are meant to help often don’t have time to wait. The TCR contains all the information you need to ship compliant temperature-sensitive products.

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Available in following languages:

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LIVE ANIMALS REGULATIONS (LAR)

LIVE ANIMALS REGULATIONS (LAR)

49th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Live animal transport is a complex, high-touch process involving everyone from animal handlers to airline staff to freight forwarders. Getting the labelling or marking wrong or misunderstanding government regulations can have catastrophic consequences. The LAR has all the information you need to make sure the animals arrive at their destination in good health.

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Available in following languages:

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Compassionate Transportation Manual (CTM)

Compassionate Transportation Manual (CTM)

3rd Edition – Effective January 1 2023

The CTM consolidates the requirements for the airline acceptance and transport of human remains for IATA member airlines and lists the international standards for the documentation. This manual contains the guidance needed for funeral operators, airlines and freight forwarders on how to prepare, ship and handle this special cargo.

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Available in following languages:

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Cargo Operations


CARGO HANDLING MANUAL (ICHM)

CARGO HANDLING MANUAL (ICHM)

7th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

Widely used by anyone in the cargo handling chain, the ICHM is the number one source for cargo operations standards. It helps airlines and cargo handlers operate more effectively together in order to improve efficiency and safety in air cargo operations.

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Available in following languages:

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ULD REGULATIONS (ULDR)

ULD REGULATIONS (ULDR)

11th Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

ULDs are the leading cause of aircraft damage on the ground. ULD regulations help ground handlers and airline workers process freight efficiently and safely while reducing delays, fines and aircraft damage.

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Available in following languages:

English
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Standard Procedures for Preloading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI)

Standard Procedures for Preloading Advance Cargo Information (PLACI)

Effective as of 1 June 2022

Provides harmonized and standardized procedures for advance cargo information filing in a unique, comprehensive manual. It enables users to improve procedural efficiency and empowers their compliance with the preloading advance cargo information regulatory requirements applicable in the United States and due for implementation in Europe, UK and Canada.

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Available in following languages:

English
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Cargo XML Message manual and toolkit (CXML)

Cargo XML Message manual and toolkit (CXML)

Effective as of 1 June 2022

Provides harmonized and standardized procedures for advance cargo information filing in a unique, comprehensive manual. It enables users to improve procedural efficiency and empowers their compliance with the preloading advance cargo information regulatory requirements applicable in the United States and due for implementation in Europe, UK and Canada.

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Available in following languages:

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The Air Cargo Tariff and Rules (TACT)

The Air Cargo Tariff and Rules (TACT)

Subscription year January to December 2023

TACT provides air cargo professionals with the comprehensive information they require to efficiently transport air cargo worldwide. TACT Rules is the definitive source for shipping and accepting air cargo, comprising of industry, country and carrier regulations. TACT Rates offers you the most current industry, carrier and pre-constructed rates. It contains 5 million rates for 350,000 city pairs and is the most comprehensive global rates database in the industry.

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Available in following languages:

English French Italian Spanish

*summary translations sold in conjunction with the English manual

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Airline Coding Directory and Location Identifiers (ACD)

Airline Coding Directory and Location Identifiers (ACD)

Annual subscription

The Airline Coding Directory (ACD) is the official industry source for airline and location codes worldwide. Location Identifiers is a repository of worldwide airports as well as bus stations, rail stations and ferry ports that are involved in intermodal airline travel. Together, Airline Designator Codes and Location Identifiers, compose a single reference database for airline and location codes globally.

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Available in following languages:

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Ground Operations


AIRPORT HANDLING MANUAL (AHM)

AIRPORT HANDLING MANUAL (AHM)

43rd Edition – Effective 1 January - 31 December 2023

The AHM contains all the industry-approved policies and standards to support safe and efficient ground operations above and below the wing.

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Available in following languages:

English
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GROUND OPERATIONS MANUAL (IGOM)

GROUND OPERATIONS MANUAL (IGOM)

12th Edition – Effective 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024

The IGOM standardizes ground handling processes and procedures to reduce the complexity between working with multiple arlines, airports and ground service providers. Standardizing ground and ramp operations for airlines can help drive down costs, reduce the risk of aircraft damages and simplify training requirements. The IGOM has also been known as an acceptable means of compliance for a reference tool for ISAGO audits.

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Available in following languages:

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Baggage Reference Manual (BRM)

Baggage Reference Manual (BRM)

6th edition – Effective as of June 2022

The BRM contains the latest best practices in baggage operations and policy. By applying these baggage operations will help to reduce in the number of mishandled bags and related costs as well as increase customer satisfaction in baggage handling.

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Available in following languages:

English
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«Our training, safety and operational manuals are based on the IATA manuals»
Havas Ground Handling
«We use the IATA Airport Handling Manual and Ground Ops Manual to ensure a high-level of safety in our ground handling operations»
Air Caraïbes & French bee
“A highly recommended manual for all airport ground handling crew in pursuit of excellence in airport operations”
Institute of Technical Education, Singapore
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“It’s a great tool to use day by day. You learn so much. It’s incredible!”
Royal Cargo do Brasil
“IATA manuals are the sole trusted source of information for the aviation industry”
Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation
red square icon Experts
André Majeres
André Majeres
Head, E-Commerce and Cargo Operations
Sonia Ben Hamida
Sonia Ben Hamida
Head, Special Cargo
Christian Piaget
Christian Piaget
Head, Cargo Border Management
Zhi Yong Liao
Zhi Yong Liao
Senior Manager, Cargo Safety and ULDs
Lucy Exell
Lucy Exell
Manager, Cargo Industry Programs
Dave Brennan
Dave Brennan
Head, Cargo Safety and Dangerous Goods
Brendan Sullivan
Brendan Sullivan
Director, Cargo
Monika Mejstrikova
Monika Mejstrikova
Director, Ground Operations
Maria Jitomirski
Maria Jitomirski
Manager, Special Cargo
Iva Pluhackova
Iva Pluhackova
Head, Ground Operations and Standards
Caroline Odhiambo
Caroline Odhiambo
Senior Manager, Ground Ops Business Processes and Standards
Candy Chan
Candy Chan
Manager, Dangerous Goods Standards
Gurdeep Singh
Gurdeep Singh
Senior Manager, Ground Operations Safety & Standards
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