Road safety ready for lift off: How Class 9 Dangerous Goods were transported safely with Maersk Air Cargo

A prominent German motor vehicle manufacturer needed to transport a critical safety feature component - airbags; from Hangzhou, China to Billund, Denmark. A fast and safe way to transport airbags is via air freight. However, this depends on how the airbag is transported.

The solution is simple. If the airbag is a fully installed component in a vehicle, which classifies it as ‘general cargo’. However, in this case, the airbags to be transported came as a standalone technology component, which make it a Class 9 miscellaneous dangerous good (DG); a far more complex cargo to transport.

Defusing danger with expertise

Maersk air cargo had the right combination of advantages to reliably and safely transport the consignment of airbags from Hangzhou to Billund.

Own controlled freight network : Maersk uses its own-controlled freight network and strictly standardised SOPs to ensure maximum safety, compliance and efficiency in transporting DG. This meant we could assure the client a seamless journey from origin to final destination with fewer touchpoints, and more flexibility in case of disruptions.

Conventional terminal process: Indirect Airfreight handling

6 touch points

Maersk Air Cargo (own controlled fleet) process: Direct Airfreight handling

4 touch points

Fully integrated services connecting 63 countries: With our expanding network of connectivity to airports, the client also had hassle-free access to destinations across the globe. This helped to minimise lead times and reduce stopovers.

DG-certified experts in 112 global destinations: Throughout the journey our team was involved in the preparation, acceptance, handling and offering of the dangerous good consignment. Every member of this team had to undergo specialised training that was certified by IATA, to ensure the client's Class 9 dangerous goods were in the best hands. This training is periodically renewed to stay up to date with the latest regulation and safety protocols.

Complete control and visibility: Maersk Air Freight was in constant touch with the client providing full supply chain visibility on the shipment. In crucial hubs such as South Korea and China, the client had one point of contact that helped provide the customer with 24/7 support throughout the cargo’s logistics journey.

We were able to create a comprehensive plan to ship the dangerous goods in the timeline required. The shipment was as follows:

Day 0
9:00 to 12:00 (China local time) – Pickup and preparation for Hangzhou transfer 

Day 1
17:00  – Arrives at Hangzhou Hub 
8:00 (Denmark local time) - Delivered to Billund Hub