Free Air Cargo Handling Course

Air Cargo Handling and Dangerous Goods

Beginner level 3.0 learning hrs

In this free air cargo handling course, you’ll learn what shipment labels and paperwork tell an acceptance team. Enroll to follow how those checks fit into the handoff from the shipper to ground staff.

Key Highlights

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About this course

Shipment labels make more sense once you know who reads them and why, and this free air cargo handling course introduces that handoff. If you’re new to freight operations, you’ll first meet the shipper, freight forwarder, ground handler, and airline. Following their roles gives you a way to understand where a shipment changes hands and where staff review what the shipper has declared.


The dangerous goods training topics connect three pieces of information you’ll encounter at acceptance: the hazard class, the markings on the package, and the shipper’s declaration. You’ll see how the air waybill fits into that review and why staff inspect the package as well as the paperwork. The course then follows cargo into ground handling and loading, so you can tell the difference between checks made when a shipment arrives and decisions made as cargo is prepared for flight.

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Course outline

Understanding Air Cargo Operations and Regulations

In this module, you'll learn the global air cargo supply chain, stakeholder roles across shippers, forwarders, ground handlers, and airlines, ICAO Annex 18 and the Technical Instructions, the structure of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, state and operator variations, and training requirements.

Classifying Dangerous Goods for Air Transport

In this module, you'll learn the nine UN hazard classes, packing groups, classification criteria, limited and excepted quantities, and identifying dangerous goods not otherwise specified.

Packing, Marking and Labeling Shipments

In this module, you'll learn packing instructions and UN specification packaging, overpacks, mandatory marks, hazard and handling labels, UN numbers and proper shipping names, and inspecting packages during acceptance.

Documenting and Certifying Dangerous Goods Shipments

In this module, you'll learn the Shipper's Declaration for Dangerous Goods, air waybill entries, shipper certification requirements, acceptance checklists, security declarations and known consignor status, and the electronic air waybill.

Handling Cargo Acceptance and Ground Operations

In this module, you'll learn the dangerous goods acceptance checklist, physical inspection, cargo screening, segregation in storage, ULD build-up, and handling perishable, live animal, and valuable cargo.

Loading and Securing Cargo for Flight

In this module, you'll learn the Notification to Captain (NOTOC), segregation tables, loading restrictions by aircraft type, ULD compatibility and weight and balance basics, and special loading provisions for dry ice and lithium batteries.

Securing the Supply Chain and Managing Risk

In this module, you'll learn the known consignor and regulated agent framework, risk-based security screening, chain of custody, identifying concealed dangerous goods, emergency response guidance, and spill and incident reporting procedures.

From Compliance Audits to Continuous Improvement

In this module, you'll learn internal compliance audits,

Get access to the complete curriculum once you enroll in the course

Air Cargo Handling and Dangerous Goods

3.0 Hours

Beginner

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where does this free air cargo handling course fit if I’m new to freight?

Start here if you want to understand how a shipment moves between organizations. The opening module distinguishes the roles of shippers, freight forwarders, ground handlers, and airlines.

What will I study about dangerous goods classification?

The classification module introduces the nine UN hazard classes and packing groups. It also covers how the course approaches entries for dangerous goods that are not otherwise specified.

Will I learn how hazard labels differ from other package markings?

The packing module looks at hazard and handling labels alongside marks such as UN numbers and proper shipping names. You can use the lesson to distinguish what those details describe.

Which shipment documents are covered in the air cargo course?

You’ll study the Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods and air waybill entries, including the electronic air waybill. The module puts those records in the context of shipment acceptance.

What does the course teach about a physical cargo acceptance check?

The ground operations module puts the acceptance checklist alongside physical inspection. That pairing helps you see why a paperwork review and a look at the shipment are distinct steps.

Does air cargo handling training cover perishables and live animals?

Perishables and live animals appear in the ground operations module alongside valuable cargo. The examples show the range of shipments ground teams may handle beyond dangerous goods consignments.

What does the loading module explain about informing the captain?

The loading module introduces the Notification to Captain, often shortened to NOTOC. You’ll study it as part of flight preparation and see where it fits alongside other cargo loading topics.

How does the course introduce the equipment used to group cargo?

You’ll study how ground teams build up cargo on unit load devices. The loading module then introduces device compatibility and the basics of how weight and balance relate to loading decisions.

What does the cargo security module cover about shipment handoffs?

The security module uses chain of custody to examine how responsibility for a shipment passes between parties. It also introduces how screening fits into a broader view of supply chain security.

Where can I continue learning about the regulatory framework after the basics?

Revisit the opening module for its overview of the ICAO Technical Instructions and the structure of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations. It also introduces variations by state and operator.

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