This edition of the Technical Instructions is required to be used for operations from 1 January 2007 and will remain valid until 31 December 2008 or until such later time as a new edition becomes valid.
Dangerous goods can be carried safely by air transport providing certain principles are adopted. These principles have been used in developing these Technical Instructions and are set out below; they are intended to facilitate transport while giving a level of safety such that dangerous goods can be carried without placing an aircraft or its occupants at risk, providing all the requirements are fulfilled. They try to ensure that should an incident occur it cannot lead to an accident.
In general, dangerous goods are divided into various classes or divisions according to the hazard they present. A detailed list of individual commodities is shown which indicates the class or division into which each commodity falls as well as its acceptability for transport by air and under what conditions. Since such a list cannot be exhaustive, it also includes various generic or "not otherwise specified" entries to assist in the transport of those commodities not specifically listed by name.
Some dangerous goods are identified as too dangerous ever to be carried on any aircraft; some are forbidden in normal circumstances but may be carried with specific approval from the States concerned; some are restricted to carriage only on all-cargo aircraft; but most may be carried on both passenger and all-cargo aircraft, subject to meeting the required conditions. Those restricted to all-cargo aircraft are either in larger quantities than allowed on passenger aircraft or are forbidden on such aircraft; their transport is permitted due to their being usually accessible in flight and to the ability of the flight crew to consider a greater range of actions in an emergency than is possible on passenger aircraft.