The aim of the article is to describe practical aspects of the issue related to the transportation of hazardous materials by air and to verify the problem in the form of the following question: Do the current legal conditions and applicable procedures ensure the safe movement of hazardous materials by aircraft? The first part of the article analyzes the legal regulations concerning the transportation of dangerous goods within the country and their impact on transport safety, and also draws attention to the compatibility of normative documents with regard to legislative acts operating internationally, in particular, those in force in the structures of the European Union and the NATO North Atlantic Treaty. Due to the fact that the transportation of hazardous materials carries a high risk, any irregularities arising in the process of transportation preparation may affect the safety of the crew, aircraft and property being moved. Attention was also focused on the proper preparation of hazardous materials for movement, based on the legal regulations cited in the first part of the article. Next, the most important factors affecting transport safety during practical preparation of cargo for air transportation were characterized. In order to fully illustrate the discussed issue and indicate its multifaceted nature, in the last part, an exemplary calculation of the movement of equipment and materials containing dangerous substances from the military airport in Wrocław to the civilian airport in Abidjan (Ivory Coast - Africa) was made. The article is concluded with a summary that highlights the most important aspects related to the transportation of hazardous materials affecting the safety of both people and transported materials.