Applicable Legislation

The transportation of human remains on U6 flights is carried out in accordance with:

  1. The current legislation of the Russian Federation, as well as the legislation of the countries of import, export, transit, and transfer;
  2. U6 standards and procedures.

Note. The basic requirements of various countries are described in the TACT Rules Manual (yellow pages).

Classification of Human Remains

Remains may be:

  1. Cremated, transported in urns for ashes;
  2. Non-cremated remains in a coffin.

Shipper’s Responsibility

The shipper bears full responsibility for the contents, packaging, and transport documentation.

The shipper must package the remains in a way that ensures the integrity of the packaging and prevents leakage.

If the human remains belong to a person whose cause of death was an infectious disease (or who had such a disease at the time of death), transportation is permitted only with authorization from the relevant authorities.

Transport Documents

The air waybill issued for human remains must contain only this type of cargo:

  1. In the “Nature of goods” column — Human Remains in Coffin or Urn with Ashes, as well as the IMP code (applicable for remains in a coffin — for entry in NOTOC);
  2. In the “Additional information (HI box)” column — the consignee’s telephone number.

The shipper must provide properly completed and signed documents: death certificate / certificate confirming sealing of the coffin / certificate of absence of infectious diseases.

These documents must contain at least:

  1. Surname, given name, patronymic;
  2. Age (or date of birth) and nationality of the deceased;
  3. Place, time, and cause of death;
  4. Approved routing;
  5. Stamp and signature.

The documents must be attached to the air waybill and must accompany the shipment throughout transport. They must be issued in Russian.

Record keeping.

One copy of the documents related to the air transportation of human remains must be retained for a period of at least three months and must contain:

  1. death certificate;
  2. certificate confirming sealing of the coffin;
  3. certificate of absence of infectious diseases;
  4. copy of the cargo air waybill;
  5. other attached documents.

Package Requirements and Aircraft Loading

In addition to the requirements in Section B, the shipment must comply with adequate strict and safe hygienic requirements.

Cremated remains must be transported in urns for ashes, which must be sufficiently protected from damage with suitable packaging; they may not receive priority for booking or special services.

Non-cremated remains must:

  1. Be transported as soon as possible, usually within 1 week after death (to prevent decomposition);
  2. Be contained in a hermetically sealed lead or zinc capsule placed inside a wooden coffin;
  3. The wooden coffin may be protected against damage with external packaging and covered with canvas or tarpaulin so that its contents cannot be guessed;
  4. When transporting human remains in coffins, special rules apply:
    • Coffins must be loaded horizontally and never vertically;
    • Non-cremated human remains must not be loaded close to dogs or other animals with a good sense of smell, nor near food products without hermetic packaging;
    • Coffins must be carefully loaded onto the aircraft;
    • Coffins must be loaded in a separate compartment and always secured.

Emergency Situations

The emergency plan of the authorized agent at U6 handling airports must include procedures related to human remains.

If leakage occurs into the cargo hold, concrete apron, or cargo terminal (equipment contamination), the area must be immediately cordoned off and properly marked, and appropriate disinfection must be carried out in accordance with legislation. Without proper treatment, the aircraft may not be released for operation. In all cases, the shipper must be notified and instructions requested. The incident must be reported to the responsible personnel / departments.