New EU Air Cargo Security Rules Ground Drums and Barrels – A Blow to European Airfreight?

The European airfreight industry is facing a growing and largely under-reported challenge: common industrial packaging types—namely drums and barrels used for paint, oil, granulates, and chemicals—can no longer be uplifted by airfreight under EU aviation security rules.

Unless you’re a Known Consignor, your drums are staying on the ground.

🚫 Drums and Barrels Now “Unscannable” Under EU Law

The root of the issue is not the cargo itself, but how it’s screened. EU aviation law—particularly under Regulation (EC) No 300/2008 and its Implementing Acts—requires that all air cargo must either:

  • Be successfully screened, or
  • Originate from a Known Consignor (KC) approved by the relevant national aviation authority.

Here’s the problem: drums and barrels, especially those filled with viscous liquids or powders, cannot be effectively screened using X-ray technology, which is the primary security method in most EU airports. Even smaller cans under 25 liters often fail to qualify due to the density or opacity of the contents.

In other words, if your cargo can’t be scanned, and you’re not on the KC registry, your goods can’t fly.

📅 Timeline of the New Restrictions

This shift has not happened overnight—there’s a clear timeline of implementation:

  • April 1, 2024 (France): The French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) banned airfreighting hermetically sealed containers over 25 liters unless shipped by a Known Consignor.
  • April–September 2024 (Transition): A grace period allowed non-Known Consignors to continue shipping drums if they had submitted a compliance questionnaire to the DGAC.
  • Mid–Late 2024 (Wider EU): Similar restrictions began applying across the EU, making Known Consignor status the only pathway for drums/barrels above 25 liters to be airfreighted.
  • January 1, 2026 (France Expansion): The French rule will tighten further, extending the Known Consignor requirement to all hermetically sealed containers over 5 liters.

This staged tightening means that what started as a “large drum” restriction will soon apply to much smaller containers, further shrinking what can be flown without KC approval.

📦 Why This Hits So Hard

Industrial suppliers—especially those in chemicals, coatings, or materials sectors—commonly use drums, barrels, and large cans for shipping. But many of these businesses are not willing to go through the complex, expensive, and compliance-heavy process of becoming a Known Consignor.

That leads to a painful logistics bottleneck: goods that previously moved by air must now shift to ocean freight—even if that means unacceptable delays or lost contracts.

🌍 Other Countries Still Accept These Shipments

Here’s the irony: many non-EU countries still accept these exact same shipments by air.

  • A barrel of resin can fly out of Dubai or Singapore.
  • But the same shipment cannot leave Europe by air if the shipper is not a KC.

This discrepancy places European exporters at a competitive disadvantage, forcing them to rely on longer, costlier, and less flexible ocean freight, while non-EU competitors retain fast access to global markets.

📉 A Blow to the European Airfreight Sector

This regulatory tightening, while well-intentioned from a security standpoint, may have unintentionally sidelined a valuable segment of air cargo business.

Let’s be clear:

  • The issue is not the commodity itself, but the packaging’s incompatibility with current screening tools.
  • Most airlines would still accept these goods, if they could be security-cleared.
  • But regulatory constraints—not operational ones—are grounding them.

As a result, freight forwarders, airlines, and handlers are losing revenue—not because the demand is gone, but because the infrastructure isn’t adaptable.

🔧 So What’s the Solution?

Right now, the only workaround is for the shipper to become a Known Consignor—a status that demands on-site security audits, staff training, documented processes, and periodic re-certification.

But that’s simply not viable for many small and medium-sized enterprises.

Instead, what the industry urgently needs is:

  • 💡 New or adapted screening technologies (for powders, viscous goods, and opaque packaging).
  • 🧠 Risk-based assessment models, possibly tied to shipment history or commodity type.
  • 🤝 Public-private dialogue between EU regulators, shippers, airlines, and freight associations.

✈️ Final Thoughts: Security vs. Practicality

Yes, security is non-negotiable. But so is operational realism. The current regulatory environment disproportionately penalizes packaging types, rather than targeting actual risks.

By creating a scenario where drums and barrels are “unshippable” unless a company joins an elite registry, the EU may be pushing business into the hands of ocean carriers and non-EU air hubs.

We need to rethink this. Fast.

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