Airline Cargo for Human Remains from Brazil: Carriers, Booking, and Air Waybill Requirements

Shipping a body from Brazil to the United States requires an air cargo booking that families cannot make themselves. Airlines classify human remains as special cargo — HUM category under IATA regulations — and only registered shipping agents can book the shipment. Understanding how the cargo side works helps families set realistic expectations about timing, cost, and which airports actually handle these shipments.

Which Airlines Handle Human Remains from Brazil

Three major carriers regularly transport human remains on Brazil-to-US routes:

LATAM Airlines Cargo. LATAM is one of the major carriers serving the Brazil-US corridor and handles HUM shipments on selected routes, including routings from major hubs such as São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) and Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG). Confirm current availability and routing with the cargo desk.

American Airlines Cargo. American handles human remains on selected Brazil-US routes with advance booking. Confirm eligible origin and destination airports and the current routing with the cargo desk.

United Cargo. United handles human remains on selected Brazil-US routes. Confirm eligible origin and destination airports and the current routing with the cargo desk.

Other carriers — Delta, Copa, Avianca — may handle human remains cargo on specific routes, but LATAM, American, and United are the primary options with established procedures for the Brazil-US corridor.

The Known Shipper Requirement

Families cannot walk into an airport cargo terminal and book a human remains shipment. Airlines require the booking to come from a Known Shipper — a licensed, registered shipping agent that the airline has pre-vetted and approved for handling sensitive or restricted cargo categories.

In Brazil, the Known Shipper is commonly the funerária (funeral home) or a specialized international repatriation logistics company. The funeral home that prepares the body — embalming, zinc-lined casket, outer airtray — typically also handles the cargo booking.

When selecting a funerária, this is the question to ask: do they have Known Shipper status with at least one airline operating international cargo from the nearest hub airport? Funeral homes that do not have it may partner with a cargo agent at GRU or GIG, which adds a coordination step and cost.

The Air Waybill Process

The air waybill (AWB) is the contract between the shipper (the funerária) and the airline. It's the cargo equivalent of a passenger ticket. The AWB number goes on the outside of the shipping container and appears on every customs document.

The booking process:

1. The funerária contacts the airline's cargo desk in advance of the desired departure date. They provide the weight and dimensions of the casketed remains, the origin airport, and the destination airport.

2. The cargo desk confirms space availability. Not every flight has room for a HUM shipment — the cargo hold must have space for the casketed remains. The desk assigns the shipment to a specific flight and issues a booking confirmation.

3. The AWB is generated. The funerária fills out the air waybill with full shipment details: sender information, receiver information (the receiving funeral home in the US), declared value, and description of contents ("human remains — embalmed").

4. Documentation attached. All export documents — the apostilled and translated death certificate, consular mortuary certificate, embalming certificate, police transit permit, and Federal Police export authorization — are placed in a secure document pouch affixed to the outside of the container. The AWB number ties everything together.

5. Customs clearance at the departure airport. The Federal Police (Polícia Federal) at the airport cargo terminal inspect the documentation and issue the final export authorization. Only after this stamp can the container be loaded onto the aircraft.

Departure Airports and Routing

Most international HUM cargo from Brazil departs from two airports:

São Paulo-Guarulhos (GRU) — Brazil's busiest international airport, with the most frequent direct flights to US cities. The cargo terminal at GRU handles the highest volume of human remains shipments in the country.

Rio de Janeiro-Galeão (GIG) — the second major hub, with direct US service primarily to Miami and New York.

Deaths occurring in other Brazilian cities may require an overland transfer of the prepared, casketed remains to GRU or GIG. The funerária arranges this transfer via specialized transport vehicle, which adds transit time and cost depending on distance.

Some domestic LATAM flights within Brazil may accept HUM cargo for connecting service to international routes, but this is route-dependent and must be confirmed with the cargo desk.

Cost Factors

Air cargo charges for human remains from Brazil to the US typically run $1,500–$5,000. The variables:

• Weight. Airlines charge by weight for HUM cargo. A zinc-lined casket with body and outer airtray weighs 200–350 lbs. Heavier combinations push the cost higher.
• Route directness. A direct GRU-to-MIA flight is cheaper than a multi-leg routing through a connecting city.
• Fuel surcharges and security fees. These fluctuate and are quoted at booking time.
• Peak travel periods. Cargo space is tighter during holiday seasons and summer travel peaks, which can affect both availability and pricing.

The cargo charge is one component of the total repatriation cost — added to the funeral home's preparation fees, document costs, police clearances, and the receiving funeral home's fees in the US.

Arrival and Customs in the United States

When the shipment arrives at the US destination airport, the receiving funeral home's cargo agent collects it from the airline's cargo terminal. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reviews the documentation — primarily the death certificate, embalming certificate, and consular mortuary certificate — before releasing the remains.

If documentation is incomplete or inconsistent, the shipment can be held at customs until the discrepancy is resolved — which is why getting the export documents right in Brazil matters so much.

The receiving funeral home then transfers the remains to their facility, where the family can proceed with the memorial service and final disposition.

The American Dies in Brazil Family Emergency Guide includes the complete air cargo checklist, the five-document export dossier required at the Brazilian departure airport, and contact protocols for coordinating with the funerária, the cargo desk, and the receiving funeral home.