At the start of 2026, the international air freight market saw a series of significant developments. The IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, Version 67, came into effect on January 1st, significantly tightening the declaration, packaging, and documentation requirements for sensitive goods such as lithium batteries, liquids, and powders. E-commerce platforms like SHEIN and TEMU are shipping approximately 9,000 tons of air cargo daily from China, with popular routes seeing a large number of chartered flights and cargo spaces locked up. Continued shutdowns on Canada's west coast and at the Port of Montreal have led to a large number of containers being diverted to US ports. For importers, this means fewer available spaces, more volatile pricing, and stricter inspections, making it increasingly difficult to ship sensitive goods such as knives, lithium batteries, liquids, fragrances, and powders.
Further reading:
EU battery anti-dumping, Canada's solar panel tax exemption: A trade drama for importers
In the past, air freight simply involved booking, delivering, and waiting for the plane. Now, e-commerce platforms are chartering flights and cargo spaces extensively, controlling most of the space on popular routes and securing lower contract prices and priority loading rights. Small and medium-sized importers face challenges such as limited space, volatile prices, frequent cargo dumping, and unstable delivery times. Sensitive goods require special handling, documentation, and security checks, resulting in fewer available channels and higher costs.
Which Products are Sensitive Goods?
Not all sensitive goods are dangerous goods, but all may be restricted.
Knives: Kitchen knives and Damascus steel knives are generally not considered chemically hazardous, but they are classified as sensitive goods for aviation safety. Many courier companies and airlines refuse to accept them, or require special approval. Unclear declarations may lead to seizure or return.
Lithium Batteries: Usually classified as Class 9 dangerous goods, requiring UN38.3, MSDS, certification for transport of goods, dangerous goods packaging certificate, and labeling. Pure batteries are mostly not accepted by air transport channels; undeclared batteries are illegal.
Liquids, Fragrances, and Perfumes: Low flash point liquids may fall under Class 3 flammable liquids, requiring SDS, flash point report, and UN number. Fragrances and perfumes often contain alcohol or flammable solvents; even small quantities can make the entire shipment sensitive.
Powders and Mixed Goods: Powders are subject to high security checks and require descriptions of ingredients and intended use. One box of sensitive goods could lead to the entire shipment being classified as sensitive. An undeclared knife or a single battery could hold up all the goods.
Dangers of Misdeclaring Dangerous Goods
Safety Hazards: Lithium batteries may catch fire, liquids may leak, and aerosol cans may explode, potentially endangering aircraft and personnel safety.
Legal Hazards: Concealing dangerous goods is a serious offense in most countries, potentially leading to fines, criminal liability, license revocation, and blacklisting. Customs may detain, destroy, or return the goods, and airlines may refuse to transport them.
Financial and Operational Hazards: Detention of goods incurs storage fees, inspection fees, repackaging fees, return shipping fees, or destruction fees. Delays can lead to stockouts, breaches of contract, and customer claims; insurance may also become invalid due to misdeclaration. Customs records follow the company, increasing inspection rates, slowing customs clearance, potentially leading to account suspension on e-commerce platforms, and a decline in customer trust.
What We Can Do for You as a Freight Forwarder
We are not just booking shipping space; we are your compliance partner and risk manager, helping you control risks before shipment, during transportation, and at the destination port.
Get your quote: sales16@senghorlogistics.com
(1) Free Compliance Audit Before Acceptance:
Confirm product name, composition, SDS/MSDS, flash point, battery information, HS code, and determine whether it is general cargo, dangerous goods, or sensitive goods to avoid discovering shipment issues upon arrival at the warehouse.
(2) Document Processing and Channel Matching:
Assist with MSDS, UN38.3, certification for transport of goods, dangerous goods declaration, invoices, packing lists, HS codes, CE/FDA/REACH, etc., ensuring consistency between documents and goods and compliance with IATA DGR 67. We have air freight for dangerous goods, dedicated lines for sensitive goods, and channels for goods with batteries. We can determine the feasibility of air freight or suggest alternative solutions such as sea freight or dedicated lines.
(3) Consolidation and Reduction of Freight Costs:
Small batches of goods shipped separately have high unit prices, shared surcharges, and unstable space availability. We provide consolidation services to combine multiple suppliers and multiple batches of goods for shipment. Consolidation can reduce unit price by 20%–35%, with 45kg, 100kg, and 300kg being key weight thresholds. Sensitive goods can be consolidated with similar items, avoiding mixing with general cargo, balancing cost and compliance.
(4) Customs Clearance and Delivery:
The EU requires EORI/VAT, and the US requires IOR/Bond. We offer flexible customs clearance solutions such as DDP/DAP, clearly defining taxes and destination port fees. Overseas agents provide real-time tracking and handle any issues promptly.
(5) Risk Management and Transparent Communication:
We recommend appropriate packaging, labeling, and reinforcement measures, and arrange cargo insurance. However, please note: underreporting may result in insurance non-payment; honest declaration is always the first principle. We will list included and excluded costs in our quotations and provide realistic delivery times based on actual data. We do not promise "guaranteed customs clearance" or "absolutely no problems." A professional freight forwarder should inform you of the risks and how we can help you address them.
In short: From compliance pre-approval, cargo collection and consolidation, channel matching, document declaration, customs clearance and delivery, insurance tracking to emergency handling, we provide one-stop service to help you avoid risks such as underreporting, seizure, fines, delays, customs clearance and costs.
the air freight market in 2026 is dominated by e-commerce giants, with stricter regulations and real risks associated with sensitive goods: seizure, fines, delays, lost customers, and damaged reputation. Professional freight forwarders cannot change the market, but can help you ship goods more compliantly, safely, and predictably.
If you have goods that are unsure whether they qualify as dangerous or sensitive, please feel free to contact us. We will help you solve practical problems, determine whether they can be shipped, and how to ensure safe dispatch.
Contact our logistics expert, Amy:
