SATS Ltd, a global leader in air cargo handling, has strengthened its partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) by signing a three-year agreement to expand the implementation of the DG AutoCheck compliance solution across its international network. This move follows SATS’ acquisition of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), further expanding its global footprint and reinforcing its commitment to safe and efficient dangerous goods (DG) handling.
The expanded agreement will enable the deployment of DG AutoCheck at key existing and new stations within the combined SATS-WFS network, covering over 215 stations in 27 countries. This network handles more than 50% of global air cargo volume, playing a crucial role in ensuring the safe and compliant transport of dangerous goods.
“SATS is proud to sign the first global agreement with IATA to implement DG AutoCheck across our network, demonstrating our commitment to the highest standards of aviation safety and security. We appreciate IATA’s initiative in enhancing safety and efficiency by ensuring compliance and visibility for dangerous goods shipments,” said Henry Low, SATS’ Chief Operating Officer and CEO-designate Singapore Hub.
DG AutoCheck is an automated compliance solution designed to optimize the acceptance of dangerous goods. It replaces manual cross-references of the Shipper’s Declaration for Dangerous Goods (DGD) and IATA’s Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR), reducing the likelihood of errors that could result in shipment rejections, fines, or penalties.
“We are pleased to support SATS and WFS in expanding the use of DG AutoCheck across their global network. This solution significantly enhances the safety, accuracy, and efficiency of dangerous goods handling as air cargo volumes grow. SATS’ commitment to safety innovation is a strong industry example,” added David Wall, IATA Director of Safety and Cargo Compliance & Operations Solutions.
The official handover of the certificate took place on 27 September in Paris, with David Wall presenting it to Henry Low.
DG AutoCheck offers numerous benefits for cargo operations teams, including:
Processing shipments in under 5 minutes
Automatically generating compliance reports with IATA DGR references
Instantaneous Q Value calculations
Simplified physical inspections with package previews
Displaying all relevant State or operator variations
Providing business intelligence data for process improvement
Supporting e-DGD and integrating with CMS using Connect API
IATA reports that users of DG AutoCheck have seen up to a 50% reduction in processing time and fewer errors compared to manual processing, demonstrating the effectiveness of the solution as air cargo volumes continue to grow by an estimated 4.9% over the next 5 years.