Perishables Air Freight: PER Codes, Temperatures and Rules

Perishable air cargo is food, flowers and plants that are time- or temperature-sensitive; airlines handle it under the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR), code it PER (or a product code such as PEF, PEP, PES or PEM) with a storage code such as COL or FRO, and keep each product at its own temperature, from about 13 °C for tropical produce to -18 °C for frozen food.

What counts as perishable air cargo?

Perishable cargo is any shipment that loses quality or value with time or temperature: fresh fruit and vegetables, cut flowers and plants, fish and seafood, meat, dairy and other foods. These products fly because shelf life is the product, and every day in transit is a day less on the shelf.

IATA describes perishables as time- and/or temperature-sensitive goods and notes that airlines have developed standard procedures for both chilled and frozen items, from handling methods to packaging. Pharmaceuticals are also time- and temperature-sensitive, but they follow a separate set of rules and are covered in our pharma cold chain guide. This page is the overview; the guides linked below go deep on each product.

What are the PER special handling codes?

Airlines tag perishables with IATA special handling codes on the air waybill and booking: a product code that says what the cargo is, combined with a temperature code that says how to store it.

Code meanings and temperature bands are from the SAS Cargo special handling code list (March 2026), which tells shippers to combine each perishable code with COL, CRT or an active-container code. Temperature bands for storage codes can differ between carriers and stations, so always confirm on booking. Dry ice is regulated as dangerous goods; our guide to shipping dry ice by air covers the declaration.

What do the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations cover?

The Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR) are IATA's industry manual for moving perishables by air, and the current edition took effect on 1 January 2026, according to IATA.

The manual is published every year under the IATA Cargo Services Conference and maintained by the Live Animals and Perishables Board. IATA lists its main parts as:

• Applicability: business and contractual considerations, and the responsibilities of the shipper and the carrier.
• Government regulations: rules and variations by country.
• Perishables operations: quality and risk management, booking, acceptance, ground handling and delivery.
• Documentation and labelling: the air waybill, cargo handling codes, captain notification, marking and labels.
• CITES: guidance for protected plants and the permits they need.

IATA says the next edition, the 26th (2027), clarifies the requirements for live seafood, adds PLACI (pre-loading advance cargo information) requirements and EU rules for perishables, and continues the move to metric units. Under the PCR, the shipper must give booking details and any special handling conditions, and the carrier must plan for regulations that could delay the cargo and for alternatives if a flight is delayed. Every perishable package should carry the IATA "Perishable" label. IATA also runs CEIV Fresh, an independent validation program for perishables handling; our guide to CEIV certification explains how these programs work.

What temperature does each product family need?

Most temperate produce, flowers, fish and meat travel close to 0 °C, chilling-sensitive fruit and tropical flowers need about 10 to 13 °C, and frozen food must stay at -18 °C or colder.

Produce, meat and fish figures are from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service transport handbook, which also notes that chilling injury varies with variety, maturity and holding time. Flower figures are from UC Davis and University of Florida researchers Reid and Nell. Treat these as starting points and agree the exact setting with your buyer. Mixing products with different needs in one unit is a common cause of quality loss.

Where does the perishables cold chain usually break?

At the handovers and waiting times on the ground, not during the flight: truck to terminal, terminal to aircraft, and between flights.

1. Pre-cool at origin. Air cargo packaging and holds keep products cold; they do not cool warm products down. Forced-air or hydro-cooling at the farm or packhouse is the single biggest quality lever.
2. Book direct flights or short, reliable connections, and deliver close to cut-off so cargo spends less time waiting.
3. Use terminals with dedicated cool rooms and protect pallets on the apron with thermal covers.
4. Complete the paperwork before the cargo moves. Missing certificates leave cargo waiting while documents are fixed.
5. Arrange immediate collection at destination, with customs and inspections pre-booked.

IATA reports that, according to the PCR, fruit, fish and seafood, and cut flowers together make up about 40 percent of perishable claims, with causes ranging from appearance and decay to damaged packaging and melted refrigerant.

Which guide do you need for your product?

Each product family has its own packaging, temperature and paperwork details, so use the guide that matches your cargo.

To estimate what a shipment will be billed on, especially light, bulky produce or flowers, use our air freight cost calculator.

When should perishables fly rather than sail?

When the product's remaining shelf life is shorter than an ocean voyage plus handling, or when arriving days earlier is worth the higher freight cost.

Ocean transit between continents commonly takes weeks, which most fresh flowers, berries and chilled seafood cannot survive. Our air freight vs sea freight comparison sets out the cost and transit trade-off. When air is the right answer, plan the lane backwards from the buyer's shelf: the shelf life needed, the transit time that allows, and the routing, packaging and handling that make it possible. Our JumboFresh service builds each lane around that timeline, from pre-cooled pickup to refrigerated delivery.

Frequently asked questions

What does PER mean in air cargo?

PER is the IATA special handling code for perishable cargo. Airlines also use more specific codes: PEF for flowers, PEP for fruit and vegetables, PES for non-live fish and seafood and PEM for meat, combined with a temperature code such as COL (cool store) or FRO (frozen).

What are the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations?

The PCR is IATA's annual manual for shipping perishables by air. It covers shipper and carrier responsibilities, government rules by country, booking, acceptance, handling, documentation, labelling and CITES, and the current edition has been in effect since 1 January 2026.

What temperature are perishables shipped at?

It depends on the product. USDA transit guidance puts most temperate fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and fresh meat near 0 °C, chilling-sensitive produce such as bananas no lower than about 13 °C, and frozen food at -18 °C or colder.

Which perishables cause the most claims?

According to the IATA Perishable Cargo Regulations, as cited by IATA, fruit, fish and seafood, and cut flowers together make up about 40 percent of perishable claims.

Why fly perishables instead of shipping by sea?

Air transit takes days rather than weeks, so products arrive with more shelf life and can reach markets that sea freight cannot serve fresh.

Sources

1. IATA: Perishables
2. IATA: Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR)
3. IATA Knowledge Hub: How to ship perishable goods by air
4. SAS Cargo: Special Handling Codes, description (March 2026)
5. USDA AMS: Protecting Perishable Foods During Transport by Truck (Handbook 669)
6. Reid and Nell: Three C's of Success with Fresh Cut Flowers, Cooling

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