Archive · 3 Oct 2026
E-commerce Growth Sharpens Air-Cargo Focus on Battery Safety
More people are buying and sending products through online stores.
Many of these products contain lithium batteries, which need special care when transported by air.
The shipments may pass through many businesses before reaching the buyer.
Some small sellers may not know that a product contains a battery or that it has shipping rules.
IATA says sellers should check products before putting them up for sale.
The organization says more than 80% of dangerous-goods occurrences reported during the cited period involved goods that were not declared.
For January through June 2025, the share was 81%.
The paper says better identification and preparation can help address this safety challenge.
IATA says e-commerce growth is making it harder to identify and declare dangerous goods in air cargo.
Small sellers and individual shippers may not know that some products contain regulated dangerous goods.
Power banks, replacement batteries and electronic devices are among the products sellers should check before listing.
Lithium batteries appear in many everyday products, including phones, toys, tools and household appliances.
IATA data for January-June 2025 showed undeclared or hidden dangerous goods accounted for 81% of reported incidents.
- Who
- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and participants in the air-cargo supply chain.
- What
- A new IATA white paper warns that e-commerce growth is complicating the identification and declaration of dangerous goods, including lithium batteries.
- When
- The white paper was published October 3, 2026; the cited incident data covers January-June 2025.
- Where
- Across air-cargo supply chains linking sellers, marketplaces, fulfilment centres, postal operators, freight forwarders and airlines.
- Why
- More direct-to-consumer shipments and sellers who may not recognize dangerous goods make it harder to ensure products are properly identified and prepared.
- Report publisher
- International Air Transport Association (IATA)
- Publication date
- October 3, 2026
- Incident data period
- January-June 2025
- Undeclared or hidden goods
- 81% of reported incidents in the cited period
- Products singled out for checks
- Power banks, replacement batteries and electronic devices
- Supply-chain concern
- Millions of shipments pass through multiple organizations, complicating identification and declaration at origin.