FIFO Charter Baggage, Tooling and Dangerous Goods

A FIFO crew of 90 on a two-week swing is not a light load. Personal baggage, PPE, boots, laptops, instruments and tooling combine into a hold requirement that frequently runs well above typical airline assumptions, and on Australian resource routes the binding constraint is often hold volume rather than total weight.

That matters because it feeds directly into aircraft selection. An aircraft that seats the manifest but cannot carry its baggage is not a solution, and discovering the gap at check-in means either leaving equipment behind or delaying a shift start. Baggage belongs in the requirement, not in the exceptions.

On charter, the allowance is not an airline policy. It is a number derived from the aircraft, the sector and the manifest. We confirm it in kilograms per person in writing with the quote, so site and travel teams can communicate a single figure to crews rather than guessing.

Where a swing genuinely requires more than a standard allowance, the options are a larger aircraft, a reduced manifest on that rotation, or moving the excess as separate freight. All three are workable; what does not work is assuming.

• Allowance stated per person in kilograms, plus any cabin baggage limit
• Hold volume checked against real bag counts and dimensions, not weight alone
• Additional allowance priced where the aircraft and sector support it
• Excess moved as separate freight where that is cheaper than upsizing

Most resource rotations carry more than personal luggage. Hard hats, high-visibility clothing, safety boots, harnesses, hand tools, calibrated instruments, sampling kits and spares are routine, and specialist crews such as maintenance, shutdown or survey teams carry considerably more.

Declare these at requirement stage with rough weights and dimensions. Oversized or awkward items, long tooling, cases, drill core boxes, survey equipment, may need a specific aircraft with a suitable hold door, and it is far cheaper to know that before the rotation is priced.

• Personal baggage and PPE per crew member
• Hand tools, calibrated instruments and test equipment
• Sampling and core boxes, survey gear and specialist cases
• Spares and consumables travelling with a maintenance or shutdown crew
• Oversized items requiring hold door and volume checks

A meaningful proportion of resource-sector equipment falls into dangerous goods categories, and this is an area where informality creates genuine risk. Lithium batteries in tools and instruments, aerosols, adhesives and solvents, compressed gas cylinders, fuels and sample chemicals all have carriage rules that apply on charter exactly as they do on scheduled services.

The practical approach is disclosure up front. Where an item is carriable it is declared and packed correctly under the operator's arrangements; where it is not, we say so and propose a compliant alternative, which is often a separate freight movement. Undeclared dangerous goods are the fastest way to have items removed at the aircraft and a rotation delayed.

• Declare lithium batteries, aerosols, solvents, gas cylinders and fuels at requirement stage
• Carriage confirmed against the operator's approvals and applicable regulations
• Correct packing, labelling and documentation arranged before the movement
• Non-carriable items routed as a separate compliant freight movement

Programs that run well share a few habits. None of them are complicated; they simply move decisions earlier than the day of travel.

• Publish the kilogram allowance to crews with the roster, not at the airport
• Nominate one site contact responsible for tooling and freight on each rotation
• Include tooling in the manifest process so it is visible before departure
• Flag equipment changes for shutdown rotations, where loads spike
• Keep a standing declaration process for recurring dangerous goods items