The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released 2026 editions of its manuals, with major updates affecting cargo transport.
The guides – including Dangerous Goods Regulations, Battery Shipping Regulations, Live Animals Regulations (LAR) and the Ground Operations Manual – feature nearly 100 updates to reflect evolving safety, regulatory and digital standards.
They include:
- New names for shipping hybrid-powered vehicles, stricter charge limits and revised passenger guidance on power banks
- Updated requirements for containers, training guidance for attendants, and new standards for species such as poultry and raptors
- Baggage tracking based on IATA Resolution 753
- Introduction of LAR Verify for automated compliance, a digital dangerous goods list and an upgraded tool for classifying battery types (including sodium-ion batteries).
Frédéric Léger, IATA’s Senior Vice President of products and services, said: ‘This year’s IATA manuals updates reflect advancements in technology, digitalisation, regulation and customer needs that are critical for safer, more efficient and increasingly sustainable operations.’