Dangerous goods are items that could put the safety of an aircraft or the individuals on board at risk if not handled correctly. This type of cargo covers restricted articles, hazardous materials and dangerous cargo that are capable of posing a hazard to health, safety or the environment.
With safety an upmost priority in the industry, dangerous goods are moved by shippers who are knowledgeable in transporting hazmat and have the appropriate certification to ensure they meet internationally agreed standards.
An expert in moving tricky cargo, Challenge Group recognises that air cargo is more than just moving a set of boxes – it’s about providing tailored service that recognises how every commodity has its rules and requirements which must be adhered to.
65% of Challenge Group’s business is non-standard cargo, with complex verticals like heavy and oversized items, cars, aircraft parts, live animals and dangerous goods a consistent part of their business. This experience has seen the carrier become well-versed in thinking outside the box to get items safely shipped from door-to-door.
“Based on years of legacy and expertise, continuous learning and training, professional and qualified staff, right processes and investments, we can consider ourselves as a leader in this specific sector of the logistics industry,” Or Zak, Challenge Group’s Chief Commercial Officer said.
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Standards ensure safety
With supply chains seeing goods passed through multiple countries and, sometimes, handled by different partners, it’s critical to ensure that there is a unified approach.
Challenge Group is certified in handling a wide variety of cargo, including dangerous goods, acknowledging that training is key to being able to provide a top tier service for customers around the globe.
The carrier offers a dedicated team for pre-approval and acceptance, suitable infrastructure, acceptance and storage areas and ancillary services, such as sorting, packaging and documentation. This aims to ensure the customers can have faith that, from the moment they hand over their cargo to the point where it’s delivered, Challenge Group is working diligently to deliver it in a safe and timely manner.
“Safety is one of our corporate values, therefore consistent standards play a key role in achieving and keeping it throughout the supply chain. We review on daily basis any update coming from the regulator which might require an immediate revision and update of our processes,” Or Zak stated.
“As a freighter operator the limit is only the regulation, therefore we accept all type of DGR in compliance with the ICAO/IATA regulation. Highlight: our capability in transporting all class of radioactive, explosives and lithium batteries UN3090/UN3480.”
Citing one particularly challenging commodity, radioactive cargo, Or Zak explained how the carrier facilitates safe and secure transportation throughout the supply chain: “We have dedicated ULD for it and a special procedure when it comes to acceptance, loading and offloading, delivery to final destination and we are the only certified handling agent in LGG to handle radioactive goods and in Belgium licensed for fissile material.”
Expertise and excellence
Challenge Group prides itself on one thing above others – expertise. With its motto ‘Challenge Accepted’, the carrier offers assurance that they can handle whatever cargo is entrusted to them, adopting innovative and efficient solutions to provide competitive services.
Through professional staff, defined and clear operational processes, dedicated areas to accept, check, store and build commodities, paired with innovative digital processes that embrace efficient technological solutions.
In the most strictly regulated field in aviation, in-depth knowledge and care are required, with Challenge experienced to handle all types of dangerous goods. The carrier doesn’t just comply with international regulations and standards itself, it works with its forwarding professionals to ensure they operate in an equally effective manner.
“Managing all classes requires specific expertise, infrastructures, equipment and tools,” Or Zak said. “Expertise is becoming the new oil.”
“Moreover, technology plays a key role to tackle with the hidden dangerous goods issue in our industry: on one side some shippers are not aware about what should be declared as dangerous goods, such as some new commodity linked to the go electric growing trend and, on other hand, the residual risk in moving some used items C2C. Our mission is to ensure that safety is granted at all times throughout the entire journey.”
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Evolving sector
Each year, more than 1.25 million dangerous goods shipments are moved by air, making this a key sector in the industry. With the International Air Transport Association predicting that the air cargo market will grow by 4.9% every year, this number is only set to grow in the next few years.
“Our business environment is the logistics supply chain where each single actor plays his role and has his specific responsibilities, however we’re dealing with the best supplier in this specific sector to provide our customers with the best in class service whenever they might need our expertise to help them to be fully compliant,” Or Zak said.
To prepare the industry for its continued growth, the airfreight sector, including the dangerous goods vertical, has to adopt modern and harmonised standards that facilitate safe, secure and efficient operations.
This will be even more important given the rise in the sale of goods using lithium batteries, as well as the expansion of the pharma sector, including vaccines, resulting in more dry ice being moved globally.
“The differentiation or relocation in the manufacturing sector implies more movement of some row materials likewise the changes in the e-commerce business for items containing lithium batteries, electrical cars movement is growing, more aircraft flying more engines needed around the globe, healthcare related distribution on a larger scale such as the radioactive material for medical treatment,” Or Zak continued.
