• ICAO, as part of the United Nations, regulates the international transport of hazmat.
• IATA created its DGRs in order to interpret ICAO regulations for carriers.

While the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulate the transport of hazardous materials (hazmat) by air in the U.S., two international agencies have created their own versions of regulations for transport of hazmat by air.

ICAO

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is funded and directed by 193 member states to support diplomacy and cooperation in air transportation. One of ICAO’s responsibilities is to establish regulations for the international transport of hazardous materials. These regulations are organized in ICAO’s Technical Instructions (ICAO TI). The ICAO TI are authorized by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) for use within the U.S., and in some situations may be used in place of the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).

IATA

A third version of regulations is stricter than either the U.S. hazmat rules or the ICAO TI. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is a trade association consisting of 290 airlines worldwide. Carrying 82% of the world’s air traffic, IATA members include many of the world’s leading passenger and cargo airlines. To make international regulations easier to understand and comply with, IATA created its own regulations for the international transportation of dangerous goods by air, known as the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (IATA DGR). The IATA DGR is based on the ICAO TI, but in some cases stricter.

The IATA DGR is not specifically authorized by the PHMSA for use within the U.S. However, since the IATA DGR is stricter, compliance with the IATA DGR ensures compliance with the ICAO TI, which is authorized by PHMSA.