The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called for stronger, coordinated action across the air cargo supply chain to tackle the growing risks associated with undeclared and mis-declared dangerous goods (DG), stressing that security screening alone cannot provide a complete solution. The call follows discussions among regulators on whether existing aviation security screening processes could serve as a primary defence against dangerous goods entering the air cargo system. IATA said screening remains an important layer of protection, but its primary purpose is to identify security threats such as explosives and weapons rather than the broad range of hazardous materials covered by dangerous goods regulations. According to IATA, around 80% of dangerous goods incidents reported to the association during the first half of 2025 involved undeclared or hidden dangerous goods. Lithium batteries, along with concealed e-cigarettes, aerosols and other hazardous commodities, were among the products frequently identified. IATA Global Head of Cargo Brendan Sullivan said the risk arises when dangerous goods enter the supply chain without being declared or are incorrectly declared. He emphasised that responsibility for identifying and preventing such incidents must extend across the entire cargo ecosystem, beginning as far upstream as possible. IATA's latest white paper, Safety and Security in the Cargo Supply Chain, highlights limitations in relying primarily on existing screening systems. Technologies, certification standards, algorithms and training programmes used for cargo screening have largely been developed around aviation security threats and may not be designed to identify every category of dangerous goods. Certain shipments may also present practical challenges for screening because of their size, density, shape or other characteristics. Instead, IATA is advocating a layered, risk-based and supply-chain-wide approach focused on prevention and early detection. The association has called on governments to strengthen regulatory oversight and enforcement, while manufacturers and online marketplaces should improve product identification, certification and information accuracy. Shippers, freight forwarders and postal operators are encouraged to strengthen training, acceptance procedures and the use of customer and shipment data to identify higher-risk cargo before it reaches airports. Airlines and ground handlers should reinforce checks before loading, while airports should improve coordination and information sharing among cargo stakeholders. IATA's position reinforces the need for dangerous goods safety to be treated as a shared supply chain responsibility rather than a challenge addressed only at the airport. With e-commerce, lithium-battery-powered products and increasingly complex cargo flows reshaping air freight, the association believes prevention and information-sharing upstream must complement security screening to strengthen overall cargo safety and resilience. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 CARGOCONNECT 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬!