Earlier this year, The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the upcoming 67th Edition of the Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), effective 1 January 2026. While the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Technical Instructions — on which the IATA DGR is based — won’t be updated until 2027, the 2026 changes include several clarifications and incremental updates for shippers, operators, and safety professionals across the dangerous goods supply chain.

Key Themes of the 2026 Update

Unlike the major regulatory overhaul seen in 2025, changes for 2026 are more about refinement and clarity rather than broad structural change. There are amendments around hybrid vehicles, battery management, and documentation procedures.

The overarching General Philosophy has also been refreshed to emphasize the “Safety of the Supply Chain” — outlining the shared responsibilities of all parties handling and transporting dangerous goods.

The three major changes include:

New Entries for Hybrid-Powered Vehicles (UN 3166)

One of the most notable changes is the addition of new proper shipping names to the Dangerous Goods List (Section 4.2):

UN 3166, Vehicle, flammable gas powered, hybrid
UN 3166, Vehicle, flammable liquid powered, hybrid

These new entries sit alongside the existing UN 3166 classifications, adding the word ‘hybrid’ in order to help operators better identify vehicles and manage risks associated with the transport of petrol and diesel hybrid-powered vehicles.

Battery Safety Recommendations

New recommendations have been introduced for power banks and spare batteries carried by passengers and crew. This is in response to a series of incidents in cabins. Going forwards, passengers are advised not to use in-flight power outlets during taxi, take-off, and landing. This reduces the risk of incidents caused by batteries entering thermal runaway whilst crew are seated and unable to respond quickly.

Updates to State and Operator Variations

As always with any new copy of IATA there are changes to state and operator variations. Positively, editorial amendments have been made to variations across the board to create a consistent format. The goal is to ensure requirements that come up throughout the variations use the same wording across states and airlines to make following the requirements easier. Regular shippers will have noticed the rapid growth of the state and operator variations in recent years, and this is an attempt to provide standardisation across countries and airlines.

Some of the changes/ standardisation relates to dangerous goods in excepted and limited quantities, dry ice and hazardous waste.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you ship vehicles, batteries, or other dangerous goods, it is worth reviewing your processes now to ensure compliance with the 2026 edition. Pay special attention to:

Hybrid vehicle classification
Battery handling recommendations
Updated variations and documentation requirements

Stay Ahead of the Curve

Peter East Associates offers regular IATA DGR training and consultancy to keep your team compliant, confident and certified. We always use the latest edition of the regulations, so from January all delegates on our open courses will receive a loan copy of the 67^th edition of the IATA regulations to use for the duration of the course. For more information and to book a place, follow the link below.