BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, DOC. 

Agreements Adopted by the Traffic 

Conferences of the International 

Air Transport Association 

 Docket OST-2012- 

APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION FROM FILING 

AND APPROVAL OF AN AGREEMENT BY THE 

INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION

28 June 2012 

Communications with respect to 

this document should be sent to: 

 

Douglas Lavin 

Regional Vice President – North America 

International Air Transport Association 

1201 F Street, NW, Suite 650 

Washington, D.C. 20004 

(202) 628-9292 
13455799.1 

Summary DOCKET: OST-2012 DOT ORDER: pending 

Date: 28 June 2012 

Filing fee/IATA Acct: $61 – CAR003CH01 

US/UST involved?: yes 

Intended effective date: 7 August 2012 

Meeting date/time: CSC Mail Vote (S072) dated 14 May 2012 

Agreement/Minutes: CSC/MailVote/001/2012 dated 14 May 2012 and 

CSC/MailVote/003/2012 dated 5 June 2012

 Expedited Recommended Practice 1670 

APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTION FROM FILING AND APPROVAL 

(TIER 2 AGREEMENT FILING)

Pursuant to statements submitted by Member airlines of the International Air Transport 

Association (IATA), the undersigned has been constituted to be their attorney-in-fact for filing with 

the Department of Transportation copies of agreements adopted by the IATA Traffic Conferences. 

On their behalf, and pursuant to the procedures specified in Order 2012-4-18 

(13 April 2012), I am filling with the Department this application, the subject agreement and 

supporting documentation. This agreement is a Tier 2 agreement, as specified in Appendix B to 

Order 2012-4-18. The intended effective date of the agreement is 7 August 2012. 

The subject agreement amends or establishes Resolutions and/or Recommended Practices 

that are amongst subject areas which the Department has indicated it still chooses to review on a 

case-by case basis. 

The present Application requests an exemption from Condition #2 to the Department’s 

approval of the Provisions for the Conduct of the IATA Traffic Conferences, which condition 

requires that an agreement be filed for review and appropriate action by the Department prior to 

an agreement’s being implemented. 
13455799.1 

The text of the agreement and other conference documentation sent to airline Members of 

IATA accompany this Notice. There is also a summary document that explains the amendment 

or agreement regarding its nature and purpose. 

In that context, granting the requested exemption would serve the public interest, and, 

thus, meets the 49 USC §40109(c) standards for exemption from filing and approval 

requirements. 

Respectfully submitted: 

_________________________________ 

Douglas Lavin 

Regional Vice President – North America 

International Air Transport Association 

Attorney-in-fact 
13455799.1 

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

A copy of this application has been served this day by first class or priority mail on the 

following persons: 

Chief, Transportation, Energy & Agriculture Section 

Antitrust Division 

Department of Justice 

Washington, DC 20530 

A copy of this application has been sent this day by email to John Kiser (JohnKiser@dot.gov) and to 

Della Davis (Della.Davis@dot.gov) of the Department of Transportation. 

 /s/ Douglas Lavin 

Douglas Lavin 

Date Served 

28 June 2012 
 

 

INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION 

FINALLY ADOPTED RESOLUTION 

CARGO SERVICES CONFERENCE (CSC) 
MEMORANDUM 

CSC/FAR/001/2012

TO: All Members of IATA 

Cargo Services Conference Accredited Representatives 

 

CC: Members, Cargo Procedures Conferences Management Group 

Members, IATA/FIATA Consultative Council 

IATA Strategic Partners – Cargo Services 

IATA Cargo Managers 

FROM: Secretary, Cargo Services Conference 

DATE: 6 June 2012

SUBJECT: FINALLY ADOPTED RESOLUTION – 

CSC MAIL VOTE (S072) 

EXPEDITED RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Please find attached the amendment to Recommended Practice 1670 (RP1670) adopted

through CSC Mail Vote (S072) dated 14 May 2012 for expedited effectiveness. 

The filing period runs from 6 June 2012 to 6 August 2012, with an intended effective date of 7

August 2012. The final effectiveness date will be communicated to Members by a Declaration

of Effectiveness Memorandum as soon as all required government approvals have been

obtained. 

Members are requested to file the revised RP1670 with their government authorities 

where required, and to advise IATA Secretariat of their governments’ action latest by 6 

August 2012, the end of the filing period. As usual, filing formalities with the U.S. 

Department of Transportation and the Canadian Transportation Agency will be handled 

by IATA. 

Please note that the revised RP1670 will be declared effective upon receipt of the

necessary government approvals, in accordance with Resolutions 001 and 006. 

Frederic Leger 

Head of Cargo Business Process & Standards, IATA 

Attachment 
Finally Adopted Resolution – CSC Mail Vote (S072) – RP1670 

FINALLY ADOPTED RESOLUTION SUMMARY

The following amendment adopted through CSC Mail Vote (S072) is requested for approval. 

The intended effective date is 7 August 2012. 

EXPEDITED RESOLUTION 

Intended Effective Date: 7 August 2012 

Resolution Summary of Resolution Summary of Amendment 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 

1670 

Carriage of Cargo using 

Electronic Data Interchange 

(Amending) 

Outlines the conditions and 

agreement in the carriage of 

cargo using electronic data 

interchange 

The following are the key 

changes in the revised 

Recommended Practice 1670 

(RP1670): 

1. RP1670 to serve as an 

agreement between “freight 

forwarder” and airline. 

The previous version of 

RP1670 is an agreement 

between shipper and airline, 

where the freight forwarder acts 

as shipper with respect to 

shipment. The amendment 

replaces references to “shipper” 

with “freight forwarder” where 

appropriate, to avoid any 

confusion and provide further 

clarity on the roles. 

2. Single EDI process for 

freight forwarder irrespective 

of the route. 

The previous version of 

RP1670 was strictly for nonWarsaw routes (except Warsaw 

as amended by Montreal 

Protocol 4) which mean that 

freight forwarders have to 

produce, print, handle and 

archive paper air waybills for 

the Warsaw routes. 

 (continued on next page...) 
Finally Adopted Resolution – CSC Mail Vote (S072) – RP1670 

Resolution Summary of Resolution Summary of Amendment 

The amendment to RP1670 

provides the possibility on 

Warsaw routes for an airline to 

print and sign the paper AWB 

on behalf of the freight 

forwarder based on electronic 

data submitted by the freight 

forwarder. The new feature is 

optional and stakeholders can 

decide whether they want to 

include it or not in the signed 

agreement. 

3. Enable freight forwarder to 

conclude cargo contracts on 

behalf of its shipper clients. 

 Instead of having the freight 

forwarder's shipper client 

signing an EDI agreement 

directly with the carrier, the 

amendment to RP1670 

provides the provision to enable 

the freight forwarder to send 

EDI messages on behalf of its 

client. 

Through the revised RP1670, 

the freight forwarder will be able 

to: 

a. represent to the carrier that it 

has the authority to enter into a 

contract for the shipment of 

cargo on behalf of its client 

b. agree to the carrier's 

conditions of contract on behalf 

of its client; and 

c. provide consent to use 

electronic means in lieu of a 

paper air waybill on behalf of its 

client. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 1 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

CARRIAGE OF CARGO USING ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

CSC(MAIL S071S072)1670 Expiry: Indefinite 

 Type: B 

RECOMMENDED that: 

Members engaged in the carriage of cargo using Electronic Data Interchange to transmit 

the information of the Shipment Record shall use the procedures and standards as 

indicated in Attachment ‘A’ – MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA 

INTERCHANGE (EDI) as amended from time to time.

Members are encouraged to obtain the approval of their own Legal Department prior to 

entering into any agreement. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 2 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) 

It is agreed that the goods shipped pursuant to this Agreement are accepted in 

apparent good order and condition (except as noted) for carriage SUBJECT TO 

THE CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT. ALL GOODS MAY BE CARRIED BY ANY 

OTHER MEANS INCLUDING ROAD OR ANY OTHER CARRIER UNLESS SPECIFIC 

CONTRARY INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN BY THE SHIPPER, AND SHIPPER 

AGREES THAT THE SHIPMENT MAY BE CARRIED VIA INTERMEDIATE STOPPING 

PLACES WHICH THE CARRIER DEEMS APPROPRIATE. THE SHIPPER’S 

ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE NOTICE CONCERNING CARRIER’S LIMITATION 

OF LIABILITY in the Conditions of Contract. Shipper may increase such limitation 

of liability by declaring a higher value for carriage and paying a supplemental 

charge if required. 

INSURANCE – If carrier offers insurance, and such insurance is requested in 

accordance with the conditions thereof, indicate amount to be insured in figures 

in field "Amount of Insurance".

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR 

ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

Between 

(Party A) 

of (address) 

represented by (name) 

(hereinafter referred to as “ShipperFreight Forwarder1

”) 

And 

(Party B) 

 of (address) 

 represented by (name) 

 (hereinafter referred to as “Carrier”)

Recitals 

WHEREAS the Parties hereto have, or expect to have, commercial dealings with each 

other; 

WHEREAS the Parties desire to improve the efficiency of any future commercial 

transactions by replacing the flow of paper air waybills between them with electronic 

data interchange; 

WHEREAS the Parties acknowledge understandingunderstand the technical and legal 

consequences of using electronic data interchange to conduct commercial transactions; 

and 

 

1

 “Freight Forwarder” is simply a placeholder for the contracting party, such as “Shipper”; 

“Intermediary”, “Cargo Agent” or the entity name.
RP1670-June2012 Page 3 

WHEREAS the Parties’ intention and desire is to ensurefacilitate and conduct paperless 

electronic cargo transactions, 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows: 

Article 1 — Preamble 

1.1 The foregoing recitals and any footnotes, are incorporated into and shall form an 

integral part of the Agreement. 

1.2 The Parties recognize that the use of electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill 

may increase their liability exposure on traffic routes where electronic means are not 

recognized under international convention and local law.1.2 This Agreement is suitable 

for use on any traffic routes where the preservation of the Shipment Record through 

electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill is permitted under international convention 

and local law. For trade routes that are not governed by any international convention, the 

Parties should ensure that the use of electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill is 

permissible under the local laws governing such traffic route. The Parties recognize that a 

paper air waybill may be required by Carrier to regulate liability exposure on traffic routes 

where such waybill is necessary and electronic means are not recognized under the 

applicable international convention and local law. 

Note: Text in italics refers to issues where the Parties will wish to choose between 

available options. Spaces have been left blank (....) to be filled accordingly. 

Article 2 — Definitions 

For the purpose of the Agreement, the terms listed below are defined as follows: 

2.1 “Agreement” shall mean this Agreement, together with Annex ‘A’, Annex ‘B’, Annex 

‘C’, and Annex ‘C’.D’. In addition, the provisions of Resolution 670 and Recommended 

Practice 1672 of the IATA Cargo Services Conference Resolutions Manual are 

incorporated into the Agreement by reference, as if recited at length herein. 

2.2 “EDI” or “Electronic Data Interchange” shall mean the electronic transfer, from 

computer to computer, of commercial, administrative and transport data using an agreed 

standard to structure an EDI Message, as set out in the Annex ‘A’. 

2.3 “EDI Message” shall mean a message consisting of a set of segments, structured 

using an agreed standard, prepared in a computer readable format, transmitted via EDI, 

and capable of being automatically and unambiguously processed. 

2.4 “IATA Message Standard” shall mean the message standard specified, published 

and updated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from time to time. 

2.5 “Cargo Contract” shall mean a contract between the Parties, conductedentered into

by EDI under this Agreement, for the transportation of, and settlement with respect to a 

specific cargo shipment. 

2.6 “Parties” shall mean the parties identified on Page 1. Party shall mean either of 

them. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 4 

2.7 “IATA” shall mean the International Air Transport Association. 

2.8 “Cargo Receipt” or “Receipt for the Cargo” shall mean a document (in paper or 

electronic form) which is provided to the Shipper, by the Carrier in paper form unless 

otherwise agreed between the Parties, creating a Shipment Record as a 

substitutionsubstitute for the issuance of an air waybill and which permits identification of 

the shipment that has been accepted and deemed “ready for carriage”. 

The technical aspects of the Cargo Receipt shall be as described in Annex ‘A’ and in the 

form set forth in Annex ‘C’.2

2.9 “Shipment Record” shall mean any record of the Cargo Contract preserved by Carrier, 

evidenced by means other than an air waybill.. The technical aspects of the Shipment 

Record shall be as specified in Annex ‘A’. 

2.10 “Warehouse Receipt” shall mean a paper document (in paper or electronic form) 

provided to the ShipperFreight Forwarder by the Carrier acknowledging the receipt of the 

cargo shipment as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) 

the Shipper; (b) the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (bc) the date, 

time and place received by the Carrier; (cd) reference the shipment identification number 

covering the specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of 

the places of departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should 

also be specified. 

2.11 “Shipper’s Delivery Note” shall mean a paper document (in paper or electronic form) 

provided to the Carrier by the ShipperFreight Forwarder acknowledging the delivery of the 

cargo shipment as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) 

the Shipper; (b) the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (bc) the date, 

time and place received by the Carrier; (cd) reference the shipment identification number 

covering the specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of 

the places of departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should 

also be specified. 

 

2

 In the event that the Carrier is unable to provide the ShipperFreight Forwarder with the Cargo 

Receipt in paper form upon Shipper’sFreight Forwarder’s delivery of the cargo to the Carrier due 

to technical, procedural or other reasons, the Carrier must provide the ShipperFreight Forwarder

with a Warehouse Receipt (in lieu of a Warehouse Receipt, the Carrier may verify the 

information on and countersign the Shipper's Delivery Note. Once verified and countersigned by 

the Carrier such delivery note shall serve as a Warehouse Receipt). Transportation of such cargo 

shipment by the Carrier continues to be subject to Carrier's subsequent confirmation that the 

cargo shipment is “ready for carriage”. For purposes of the International Conventions (MC99 or 

MP4, as defined in Annex ‘A’), such Warehouse Receipt shall be deemed an interim “Cargo 

Receiptcargo receipt” (also known as “Receiptreceipt for the Cargocargo” under MP4) until the 

Carrier has determined that the cargo is "ready for carriage" and can produce the actual Cargo 

Receipt as per Annex ‘A’ hereof. Accordingly, the Cargo Receipt shall serve as prima facie 

evidence of the conclusion of the contract, of the acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of 

carriage mentioned therein, except that the Warehouse Receipt shall nonetheless continue to 

serve as prima facie evidence as to the weight and number of pieces delivered to Carrier at the 

date, time, and place specified on the Warehouse Receipt. The Parties shall archive the 

Warehouse Receipt pursuant to the archiving requirements set forth in Article 8 Recording and 

Storage of EDI Messages. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 5 

It is understood that there will be a transition period where some Parties may depend on 

paper for handover purposes3

. Parties may use the paper form of their choosing for the 

Warehouse Receipt (or Shipper’s Delivery Note if used as a Warehouse Receipt). 

However it is envisioned that Parties shall endeavor to establish electronic means for the 

Cargo Receipt and for the Warehouse Receipt. 

2.12 “Shipper” (which is equivalent to the term “Consignor”) shall mean the person 

whose name appears on the Air Waybill or Shipment Record, as the party contracting 

with Carrier for the Carriage of Cargo.

Article 3 — Object and Scope 

 

3.1 It is the expectation of the ShipperFreight Forwarder and the Carrier that they shall 

be doing business together in the future. The objective of the Agreement is to permit the 

Parties to conclude legally binding Cargo Contracts by electronic means and to ensure 

they are legally bound by such contracts. However, nothing in the Agreement 

createsshall create any obligation for either Party to transact with the other, nor any 

obligation of exclusivity to deal only with the other. , nor shall Carrier be obligated to 

contract pursuant to this Agreement for contracts to be concluded in respect of “Warsaw 

Carriage” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement.

3.2 In the absence of an express written agreement to the contrary, the provisions of the 

Agreement shall only apply to future Cargo Contracts, and not to any other commercial 

relations between the Parties. All shipments covered as a Cargo Contract under this 

Agreement shall be clearly identified as an EDI Message shipment by the ShipperFreight 

Forwarder through the corresponding EDI message. Cargo Contracts concluded in 

respect of “Warsaw Carriage,” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement, shall be 

concluded in accordance with the terms set out in that Annex. 

3.3 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the The Conditions of Contract detailed in Annex 

‘B’ shall apply to all Cargo Contracts under this Agreement. , except (i) as otherwise 

agreed in writing; or (ii) for Cargo Contracts concluded under Annex D.

Article 4 — Validity and Formation of Contract 

4.1 The Parties acknowledge and agree that EDI is a proper means for concluding 

Cargo Contracts and agree not to contest the validity or terms of Cargo Contracts on the 

basis that they were concluded by EDI, that the original records are in electronic form, or 

that no signature(s) evidence such Cargo Contracts. 

 

3

 The Party providing the Warehouse Receipt shall determine its form so long as it complies with 

the requirements of Sections 2.10 or 2.11. In the event that a Party uses the form of an air waybill 

as a Warehouse Receipt, any mention or reference to conditions of contract therein shall be 

disregarded and considered null and void. When using the form of an air waybill the form should 

include a clear indication on its face that it is a “Warehouse Receipt” only and not an air waybill to 

avoid confusion. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 6 

4.1.1 Without prejudice to the provisions of clause 3.2, this clause 4.1 and the overriding 

objective of the Agreement to ensure paperless electronic cargo transactions, a Cargo 

Receipt will be made available. 

4.2 Each Party shall ensure that the content of an EDI Message sent or received 

complies with the law of its own the country where the shipment is tendered to the 

Carrier, and shall take reasonable measures to inform the other Party of any 

inconsistency without delay. 

4.3 A Cargo Contract shall be concluded once the Carrier has accepted the cargo and 

can provide a Cargo Receipt (or a Warehouse Receipt in the event that a Cargo Receipt 

cannot be provided at the time of delivery of the cargo shipment as per Footnote 1). 

Transportation of the cargo shipment, however, shall continue to be subject to (i) the 

Carrier confirming to the ShipperFreight Forwarder that the shipment is “ready for 

carriage” and (ii) ShipperFreight Forwarder complying with all other applicable rules and 

regulations. 

In the event that the EDI Message from the Carrier confirming that the shipment is 

“ready for carriage” deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces from the 

EDI Message sent by the ShipperFreight Forwarder initiating the Shipment Record, the 

cargo shipment shall be treated according to the exception management procedures 

agreed between the Parties. The particulars shall be incorporated into section 3 of the 

Annex ‘A’. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 7 

4.4 In the event that Freight Forwarder wishes to enter into a Cargo Contract on behalf 

of a third party (the “Third Party”), the Freight Forwarder warrants and represents that, 

prior to entering into such Cargo Contracts, it has obtained the authorization from the 

Third Party to act as its agent for purposes of concluding Cargo Contracts, including but 

not limited to identifying the Third Party as the “Shipper” on the EDI Message initiating 

the Cargo Contract. Freight Forwarder shall ensure that such EDI Messages are 

properly identified such that Carrier can recognize that the Freight Forwarder is sending 

and receiving EDI Messages on behalf of the Third Party for purposes of concluding a 

Cargo Contract between the Third Party and Carrier. 

4.5 THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES BY FREIGHT FORWARDER AS SET 

FORTH IN SECTION 4.4 FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT 

BETWEEN A THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR (“THIRD 

PARTY SHIPMENTS”) SHALL AUTHORIZE CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED 

BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO ISSUE A CARGO RECEIPT IN THE NAME 

OF THE THIRD PARTY, A COPY OF WHICH SHALL BE DELIVERED TO THE 

FREIGHT FORWARDER AS THIRD PARTY'S AGENT. BY TRANSMITTING SUCH 

EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT FORWARDER 

HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO PERMIT SUCH 

ISSUANCE.

4.6 The Freight Forwarder shall indemnify the Carrier against all damage suffered by it, 

or by any other person to whom Carrier is liable, by reason of the Freight Forwarder's 

breach of the warranties and representations set out in above Article 4.4 and for any 

irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of the particulars and statements set forth 

in the EDI Messages furnished by the Freight Forwarder or on the Third Party’s behalf. 

The representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.4 and this indemnity obligation 

shall survive termination of this Agreement.

Article 5 — Admissibility in Evidence of EDI Messages 

The Parties agree that in the event of any dispute, the records of EDI Messages, 

maintained in accordance with the Agreement, shall be admissible as evidence before 

the Courts, any arbitrator(s), other tribunals, or any other means of dispute resolution. 

However such evidence may be challenged by any other means of evidence (e.g., any 

documents, witnesses, etc.). 

Article 6 — Processing and Acknowledgement of Receipt of EDI Messages 

6.1 EDI Messages shall be processed as soon as possible after receipt, but in any 

event, within the time limits specified in Annex ‘A’. 

6.2 An acknowledgment of receipt of any EDI Message is not required unless stipulated 

in Annex ‘A’ or to be a condition of any particular Cargo Contract. 

An acknowledgment of receipt may be requested, by specific provision in Annex ‘A’ or 

by express request of the sender of an EDI Message. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 8 

6.3 Where an acknowledgment is required, a time limit shall be specified for receipt of 

the acknowledgment. The receiver of an EDI Message, which specifies a requirement 

for an acknowledgment, shall not act upon it until such acknowledgment is sent. 

6.4 If the sender does not receive the acknowledgment within the time limit specified in 

Annex ‘A’, he may, upon notification to the recipient of the EDI Message, treat the 

Shipment Record initiation as rejected from the expiration of that time limit and the 

shipment shall be handled as agreed between the Parties (in the absence of agreed 

procedures the Carrier policy will be applicable). 

Article 7 - Confidentiality and Protection of Data 

7.1 The Parties shall ensure that EDI Messages shall be maintained in confidence and 

not disclosed or transmitted to other persons except: (i) in fulfillment of the Cargo 

Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise previously agreed to in writing by the Parties; 

or (iii) unless compelled to do so by operation of law or by order of a competent court or 

tribunal, government authorities or agencies at the origin, destination or transit country to 

disclose the confidential information in connection with the relevant Cargo Contract. 

7.2 In the case where in the relevant Cargo Contract the Freight Forwarder appears as 

the “Shipper is a consolidating forwarder, not an agent of the Carrier”, the information 

contained in the forwarder'sFreight Forwarder's 'House Waybill’ (if any), including but not 

limited to, the name and address of the shipper and/or consignee shall be maintained in 

confidence and not disclosed or transmitted to other persons except: (i) in fulfillment of 

the Cargo Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise previously agreed to in writing by 

the Parties; or (iii) unless compelled to do so by operation of law or by order of a 

competent court or tribunal, government authorities or agencies at the origin, destination 

or transit country to disclose the confidential information in connection with the relevant 

Cargo Contract. 

7.3 The Parties shall comply with all applicable legislation concerning data protection. 

Article 8— Recording and Storage of EDI Messages 

8.1 The EDI Messages which comprise the Shipment Record, as set forth in Annex ‘A’, 

shall be issued by the Carrier and shall be stored by each Party or their agents, 

unaltered and secured, for a minimum of three years. Parties recognize that their 

national laws may require archiving of EDI messages for a period of time in excess of 

the time limit set forth herein for accounting, taxation, or other purposes outside the 

scope of this Agreement. 

Note: Parties may want to consider the two years limitation period in the international 

conventions and applicable fiscal laws — as well as the distinction between operational 

and accounting requirements.

8.2 Unless otherwise provided by national laws, EDI Messages shall be stored by the 

sender (or their agent/s) in the transmitted format and by the receiver (or their agent/s) 

in the format in which they are received. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 9 

8.3 The Parties shall ensure that electronic or computer records of the EDI Messages 

shall be readily retrievable, are capable of being reproduced in a human readable form 

and of being printed, if required. 

Article 9 — Operational Requirements for EDI 

9.1 Operational Equipment 

Each Party shall provide and maintain, at its own cost, all necessary equipment to fulfill 

its obligations under the Agreement including hardware, software and services 

necessary to transmit, receive, translate, record, print and store EDI Messages. 

9.2 Means of Communication 

The Parties have detailed in Annex ‘A’ the means of communication to be used, 

including the telecommunication protocols, and if required, the choice of third party 

service provider(s). 

9.3 EDI Message Standards 

All EDI Messages shall be transmitted in accordance with the IATA Message 

Standards, recommendations and procedures as approved and updated by the Cargo 

Services Conference from time to time. 

Article 10 — Technical Specifications and Requirements 

10.1 The Parties may agree to test the computer system of the other, to assure that it 

meets the integrity and security standards detailed at Article 11 below. 

10.2 The Parties may agree to submit to a third party technical audit within 14 days of 

executing this Agreement and to have further periodic audits of their computer systems, 

at a mutually convenient time and subject to reasonable notice. For the avoidance of 

doubt, each party shall bear its own audit costs. (Numerous scenarios are possible, e.g. 

third party technical audit, audits before signing, audits after signing, right to periodic 

audits, and it is not practical to draft text for each). 

10.3 The Parties agree to accept as prima facie evidence of the integrity and security of 

the other Party’s systems any certification by a recognized independent certification 

agency. 

Note: Any EDI interchange agreement is predicated upon each Party being certain the 

system of the other meets generally acceptable standards of integrity (unintentional 

alteration, modification or destruction after transmission) and security (to prevent 

intentional alteration, modification or destruction of messages). 

Given the fundamental importance of being certain that messages cannot be altered, it is 

expected that the Parties will want to draft unique and specific integrity and security 

clauses, or incorporate them in the Annex ‘A’. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 10 

Article 11 — Security of EDI Messages 

11.1 Each Party shall implement and maintain security procedures in accordance with 

the generally accepted best practices, in order to ensure the authenticity of EDI 

Messages, and the protection of EDI Messages against the risk of unauthorized access, 

alteration, delay, destruction or loss. 

(Security procedures to verify the origin, and the verification of integrity, in order to 

identify the sender of an EDI Message and to ascertain that any EDI Message received 

is complete and has not been corrupted, are essential. Such security procedures and 

measures may be expressly specified in the Annex ‘A’.) 

11.2 Each Party shall immediately inform the other if it becomes aware of any breach in 

its own security procedures, and take all necessary steps to remedy the problem. 

11.3 A Party informed of or who otherwise becomes aware of a breach in its security, 

shall immediately give written notice of that to the other Party, who in turn, can 

immediately suspend the application of this Agreement and cease to act on EDI from 

that Party until the breach has been resolved to its reasonable satisfaction. 

Article 12 — Authentication 

12.1 The Parties shall establish a mutually satisfactory procedure for confirming the 

authenticity of each other’s EDI Messages. 

12.2 As between themselves, and without prejudice to any recourse against a third 

party, the Parties agree that the sender of an EDI Message shall be responsible for the 

integrity of it, and responsible for any unauthorized use of or access to its authentication 

codes/procedures prior to receipt of the message on the recipient’s computer, unless 

such error, unauthorized use or access results from the acts or omissions of the 

recipient. The recipient shall be responsible for the integrity of the EDI Message, any 

unauthorized use of or access to the recipient’s authentication codes/procedures, after 

reception of the message on its computer unless such unauthorized use or access 

results from the acts or omissions of the sender. 

Article 13 — Non-compliance 

In the event that the EDI communication system of a Party does not comply with the 

integrity and security standards as required by the Agreement, and there is a 

disagreement with respect to an EDI Message, the version of the Party whose system 

does comply will be deemed to be correct. 

Article 14 — Liability 

14.1 The Parties shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the other Party 

caused by any delay or failure to perform in accordance with the provision of the 

Agreement, where such delay or failure is caused by an impediment beyond that Party’s 
RP1670-June2012 Page 11 

control and which could not reasonably be expected to be taken into account at the time 

of conclusion of the Agreement or the consequences of which could not be avoided or 

overcome. 

14.2 If a Party engages any intermediary (service provider) to perform such services as 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, that Party shall be 

liable for the intermediary’s acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.3 If a Party requires another Party to use the services of an intermediary to perform 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, the Party who 

requires such use shall be liable to the other Party for damage from that intermediary’s 

acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.4 Except where this Agreement states differently, each Party’s liability shall be 

limited to proven compensatory damages, and in any event, no Party to the Agreement 

shall be liable for (i) any loss of profits, revenue, contracts, sales, anticipated savings, 

goodwill, and reputation; and (ii) special, indirect or consequential losses; or (iii) any 

form of non-compensatory damages caused by a failure to perform its obligations under 

the Agreement. 

Article 15 — Dispute Resolution 

15.1 Alternative 1 — Arbitration Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including any question 

regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be settled by the following dispute 

resolution process: 

15.1.1 Within 14 days of a dispute arising, the Parties’ representatives shall meet and 

seek to negotiate a resolution; If the Parties are unable to resolve the matter within 45 

days from the dispute arising, the matter shall be referred to mediation to take place 

within 60 days thereafter. 

15.1.2 If the mediation is not able to resolve the dispute, the matter shall be referred to 

and finally resolved by arbitration subject to the International Chamber of Commerce 

(ICC) Rules of Arbitration, before a single arbitrator to be agreed by the Parties, or 

failing agreement, by a panel of three arbitrators to be nominated in accordance with 

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration. 

15.1.3 Arbitration shall be conducted in English and the seat of the Arbitration shall be 

in (...[insert city and country]...). The decision of the Arbitrator(s) shall be final and 

binding.

15.2 Alternative 2 — Jurisdiction Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this contract shall be referred to the 

courts of (...[insert country]...) which shall have sole jurisdiction. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 12 

Article 16 — Applicable Law 

Without prejudice to any mandatory national law, which may apply to the Parties 

regarding recording and storage of EDI Messages or confidentiality and protection of 

personal data, the Agreement is governed by the laws of (...[insert country]...). 

Shipper certifies that insofar as any part of a consignment contains dangerous goods, all 

measures prescribed by the Dangerous Goods Regulations have been respected. 

Article 17 — General 

17.1 Effect 

The Agreement shall be effective from the date on which it is signed by both Parties, or 

if signed on a different date, the date signed by the latter of the two. 

17.2 Modifications 

The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties on the subject 

matter. Any modifications, subsequent agreements or collateral agreements dealing 

directly or indirectly with the subject matter contained in the Agreement shall only be 

valid if set out in writing and signed by both Parties. This Agreement shall not be 

assigned by a Party, unless prior written consent is obtained from the other Party, such 

consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. 

17.3 Notices 

Any Notice to the other Party shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified mail, return 

receipt requested or by express courier with proof of delivery to the individuals and 

addresses indicated below: 

 
RP1670-June2012 Page 13 

For the Shipper Freight Forwarder For the Carrier 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

Either Party may change its address by notice to the other Party. 

17.4 Termination 

Either Party may terminate the Agreement by giving not less than (.........) days prior 

written Notice. 

 

Notwithstanding termination for any reason, the rights and obligations of the Parties 

referred to in Articles 4, 5, 7, 8 and 14 shall survive termination together with any other 

provision which by its nature survives termination. 

Note: The Parties may want to specify a right of immediate termination in the event of 

bankruptcy, insolvency or similar events, and/or a right to terminate with or without 

prior notice if the other Party fails to fulfill its obligation under the present Agreement. 

17.5 Severability 

If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, 

unenforceable or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, that shall not affect: 

1. The validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other provision of this 

Agreement; or 

2. The validity or enforceability in other jurisdictions of that or any other provision 

of this Agreement. 

In such cases, this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or 

unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein, unless the deletion of such 

provision or provisions would result in such a material change so as to cause 

completion of the transactions contemplated herein to be unreasonable. Parties shall 

then negotiate in good faith an appropriate substitute for the provisions deemed invalid. 

17.6 Interpretation 

Words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. 

The headings of articles are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret 

provisions of the Agreement or otherwise affect the substantial provisions. 

In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement and any 

provisions incorporated by reference, as detailed in Article 2.1, the provisions of this 

Agreement shall prevail. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 14 

17.7 No Waiver of Rights 

The failure by either Party at any time to require performance by the other of any of its 

obligations, shall not affect the right to require such performance at any time thereafter. 

A waiver by either Party of a breach or specific delay shall not be taken or held to be a 

waiver of any subsequent breach or delay. 

WHEREFORE the Parties have signed: 

................................................... .............................................

 

 Shipper Freight Forwarder 

 Carrier 
RP1670-June2012 Page 15 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘A’ 

TECHNICAL ANNEX TO MODEL EDI AGREEMENT

1) CONVENTIONS 

In the event that the Carrier party to the EDI Agreement must make an unscheduled 

stopover at a country that is not signatory of the Convention for the Unification of Certain 

Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 as 

amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4), or have ratified the Convention for the 

Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at Montreal on 28 

May 1999 (MC99), the Parties shall ensure that they can produce and deliver the Cargo 

Receipt requested by any third party, government authority requesting such 

documentation. 

2) EDI MESSAGES 

All EDI Messages shall be structured and used in accordance with the IATA Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual or the Cargo-FACT Message 

Manual or the Cargo-XML Message Manual. This Technical Annex addresses the CargoIMP environment. 

In the event that the Parties wish to exchange particular version numbers of the CargoIMP messages then only FWB version number (....), FSU version number (....) and FNA 

version number (....) will be supported. In case Parties decide to use the Cargo-IMP 

FMA message then only FMA version number (....) will be supported. 

3) SHIPMENT RECORD 

To initiate the Shipment Record information the ShipperFreight Forwarder will send the 

completed air waybill data through an electronic message (FWB) as per Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the Carrier prior to the 

presentation of the consignment at the Carrier point of acceptance. 

The Cargo Contract shall be subject to the FSU/RCS message being sent to the 

Shipper.Freight Forwarder. In the event that the weight, volume and/or total number of 

pieces of the FSU/RCS Message deviates from the weight, volume and/or total number 

of pieces of the FWB information the cargo shipment shall be treated according to the 

exception management procedures previously agreed between the Parties. 

In case the Carrier cannot access the Shipment Record initiated in his system, at freight 

presentation, a fallback (or recovery) procedure should be agreed and in place between 

the Carrier and ShipperFreight Forwarder. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 16 

4) REJECTION MESSAGE 

The notification to the Shipper Freight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the 

air waybill data (FWB) has been rejected by the Carrier’s system and/or by his third party 

service provider due to syntax errors shall be performed using the standard electronic 

Error (FNA) message as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) 

Manual. 

The FNA message should include the Message Improvement Program (MIP) error code 

and reasons as per the latest version of the MIP strategy document. 

5) CONFIRMATION MESSAGE 

The confirmation to the ShipperFreight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the 

air waybill data (FWB) has been received by the Carrier’s system and/or his third party 

service provider without syntax errors and application errors shall be performed using 

the standard electronic Acknowledgment (FMA) message as per the Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual.4

A confirmation message is not required unless otherwise previously agreed by the 

Parties in writing. 

In the event that the ShipperFreight Forwarder requires a confirmation (acknowledgment) 

message from the Carrier upon receipt of a FWB Message, the Carrier shall send the 

acknowledgment as soon as possible, however, in no case later than (....) minutes after 

receipt of the FWB. In the event that the Carrier fails to send an acknowledgment within 

the time period stated, the Shipment Record initiation shall be considered rejected and 

the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the Parties (or according to 

the Carrier policy if applicable). 

In the event that the Carrier requires the FWB message from the ShipperFreight 

Forwarder prior to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of acceptance and the 

ShipperFreight Forwarder fails to send the FWB prior to presentation, there shall be no 

Shipment Record and the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the 

Parties (or according to the Carrier policy if applicable). 

6) CARGO RECEIPT 

The Cargo Receipt will evidence the conclusion of the contract (“including acceptance of 

all contract terms”) and evidence the acceptance of the cargo as “ready for carriage” (as 

indicated in the IATA Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 8335

). 

The Carrier will send the standard electronic Status Update (FSU) message with the 

standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) as per Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the ShipperFreight Forwarder. 

 

4

 Note: Alternatively the Cargo 2000 route map milestone (MUP-FWB) message could be used. In such a 

case both Parties need to be Cargo 2000 members and need to have agreed this previously.

5

Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 833 Ready for Carriage Consignments
RP1670-June2012 Page 17 

The Carrier will send to the Freight Forwarder the electronic Status Update (FSU) 

message with the standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) including 

the actual event time, as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) as 

soon as possible after the presentation of the freight by the ShipperFreight Forwarder to 

the Carrier’s point of acceptance and no later than ___ (if left blank, no time limit shall 

apply) minutes after the determination by the Carrier that the freight is indeed “ready for 

carriage”.

The Cargo Receipt will confirm the FWB message information and FSU/RCS message 

information. The date of the Cargo Receipt shall be the date that the Carrier transmits 

the FSU/RCS message. 

The Cargo Receipt document shall be produced either as a paper or electronic version 

as agreed between the Parties in the layout of the Cargo Receipt as described in the 

Annex ‘C’ of this Agreement. 

 

Carrier will only send a FSU/RCS message if a FWB message is received from the 

Shipper at least (....) minutes prior to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of 

acceptance. The Parties shall agree on the process to be followed in case the FWB 

message is not received in the agreed period of time. 

7) ACCESS TO THE SHIPMENT RECORD BY THE CONSIGNEE 

The Consignee may need to have access to the Cargo Receipt containing weight, 

volume and number of pieces.

The Carrier, upon request by the ShipperFreight Forwarder, may provide a copy of the 

Cargo Receipt to the Consignee. 

8) CHARGES CORRECTION ADVICE (CCA)

In the case of discrepancies that affect charges between the data contained in the FWB 

message as transmitted by the ShipperFreight Forwarder and the data contained in the 

FSU/RCS message as transmitted by the Carrier, the Carrier shall send a Cargo 

Correction Advice to the ShipperFreight Forwarder unless otherwise agreed by the 

Parties. 

9) BAR CODE LABELS 

For cargo acceptance, shipments must be labeled with machine-readable cargo labels 

that are in accordance with the specifications of IATA Cargo Services Conference 

Resolution 6066

, Bar Coded Label.

 

6

 Cargo Services Conference Resolution 606 Bar Coded Label 
RP1670-June2012 Page 18 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘B’

Notice: the provisions of Resolution 600i, including the Conditions of Contract set 

forth therein, are incorporated into this Agreement by this reference. The current 

Conditions of Contract as set forth in Resolution 600i are re-printed in this Annex 

B for the convenience of the parties. The parties agree to be bound by the current 

version of the Resolution 600i Conditions of Contract as amended from time to 

time by the Cargo Services Conference and re-printed in the Cargo Services 

Conference Resolutions Manual website without further amendment to this 

Agreement. 

[INSERT CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT FOR CONTRACTS CONCLUDED BY 

ELECTRONIC MEANS 

AS SET FORTH IN THE CURRENT VERSION OF CARGO SERVICES CONFERENCE 

RESOLUTION 600i]

NOTICE CONCERNING CARRIER’S LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

If the carriage involves an ultimate destination or stop in a country other than the country 

of departure, the Montreal Convention or the Warsaw Convention may be applicable to 

the liability of the Carrier in respect of loss of, damage or delay to cargo. Carrier's 

limitation of liability in accordance with those Conventions shall be as set forth in 

subparagraph 4 unless a higher value is declared.

This contract is subject to the following: 

 

CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

1. In this contract and the Notices appearing herewith:

CARRIER includes the air carrier issuing the Cargo Receipt and all carriers that carry or 

undertake to carry the cargo or perform any other services related to such carriage.

SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHT (SDR) is a Special Drawing Right as defined by the 

International Monetary Fund.

WARSAW CONVENTION means whichever of the following instruments is applicable to 

the contract of carriage:

the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by 

Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929; that Convention as amended at The Hague on 
RP1670-June2012 Page 19 

28 September 1955; that Convention as amended at The Hague 1955 and by Montreal 

Protocol No. 1, 2, or 4 (1975) as the case may be.

MONTREAL CONVENTION means the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules 

for International Carriage by Air, done at Montreal on 28 May 1999.

2./2.1 Carriage is subject to the rules relating to liability established by the Warsaw 

Convention or the Montreal Convention unless such carriage is not “international 

carriage” as defined by the applicable Conventions.

2.2 To the extent not in conflict with the foregoing, carriage and other related services 

performed by each Carrier are subject to:

2.2.1 applicable laws and government regulations; 

2.2.2 provisions contained in the Carrier’s conditions of carriage and related rules, 

regulations, and timetables (but not the times of departure and arrival stated therein) 

and applicable tariffs of such Carrier, which are made part hereof, and which may be 

inspected at any airports or other cargo sales offices from which it operates regular 

services. When carriage is to/from the USA, the shipper and the consignee are entitled, 

upon request, to receive a free copy of the Carrier’s conditions of carriage. The Carrier’s 

conditions of carriage include, but are not limited to:

2.2.2.1 limits on the Carrier’s liability for loss, damage or delay of goods, including 

fragile or perishable goods;

2.2.2.2 claims restrictions, including time periods within which shippers or 

consignees must file a claim or bring an action against the Carrier for its acts 

or omissions, or those of its agents;

2.2.2.3 rights, if any, of the Carrier to change the terms of the contract;

2.2.2.4 rules about Carrier’s right to refuse to carry;

2.2.2.5 rights of the Carrier and limitations concerning delay or failure to perform 

service, including schedule changes, substitution of alternate Carrier or 

aircraft and rerouting.

3. The agreed stopping places (which may be altered by Carrier in case of necessity) are 

those places, except the place of departure and place of destination, set forth in the 

Shipment Record or shown in Carrier’s timetables as scheduled stopping places for the 

route. Carriage to be performed hereunder by several successive Carriers is regarded 

as a single operation.

4. For carriage to which the Montreal Convention does not apply, Carrier’s liability 

limitation for cargo lost, damaged or delayed shall be 19 SDRs per kilogram unless 

a greater per kilogram monetary limit is provided in any applicable Convention or in 

Carrier’s tariffs or general conditions of carriage.

5./5.1 Except when the Carrier has extended credit to the consignee without the 

written consent of the shipper, the shipper guarantees payment of all charges for the 
RP1670-June2012 Page 20 

carriage due in accordance with Carrier’s tariff, conditions of carriage and related 

regulations, applicable laws (including national laws implementing the Warsaw 

Convention and the Montreal Convention), government regulations, orders and 

requirements.

 5.2 When no part of the consignment is delivered, a claim with respect to such 

consignment will be considered even though transportation charges thereon are unpaid.

6./6.1 For cargo accepted for carriage, the Warsaw Convention and the Montreal 

Convention permit shipper to increase the limitation of liability by declaring a higher 

value for carriage and paying a supplemental charge if required.

6.2 In carriage to which neither the Warsaw Convention nor the Montreal Convention 

applies Carrier shall, in accordance with the procedures set forth in its general conditions 

of carriage and applicable tariffs, permit shipper to increase the limitation of liability by 

declaring a higher value for carriage and paying a supplemental charge if so required.

7./7.1 In cases of loss of, damage or delay to part of the cargo, the weight to be taken 

into account in determining Carrier’s limit of liability shall be only the weight of the 

package or packages concerned.

7.2 Notwithstanding any other provisions, for “foreign air transportation” as defined 

by the U.S. Transportation Code:

7.2.1 in the case of loss of, damage or delay to a shipment, the weight to be used in 

determining Carrier’s limit of liability shall be the weight which is used to determine 

the charge for carriage of such shipment; and

7.2.2 in the case of loss of, damage or delay to a part of a shipment, the shipment 

weight in 7.2.1 shall be prorated to the packages covered by the same Cargo 

Receipt whose value is affected by the loss, damage or delay. The weight 

applicable in the case of loss or damage to one or more articles in a package 

shall be the weight of the entire package.

8. Any exclusion or limitation of liability applicable to Carrier shall apply to Carrier’s 

agents, employees, and representatives and to any person whose aircraft or equipment 

is used by Carrier for carriage and such person’s agents, employees and 

representatives.

9. Carrier undertakes to complete the carriage with reasonable dispatch. Where 

permitted by applicable laws, tariffs and government regulations, Carrier may use 

alternative carriers, aircraft or modes of transport without notice but with due regard to 

the interests of the shipper. Carrier is authorized by the shipper to select the routing and 

all intermediate stopping places that it deems appropriate or to change or deviate from 

the routing shown in the Shipment Record.

10. Receipt by the person entitled to delivery of the cargo without complaint shall be 

prima facie evidence that the cargo has been delivered in good condition and in 

accordance with the contract of carriage.
RP1670-June2012 Page 21 

10.1 In the case of loss of, damage or delay to cargo a written complaint must be 

made to Carrier by the person entitled to delivery. Such complaint must be made:

10.1.1 in the case of damage to the cargo, immediately after discovery of the damage 

and at the latest within 14 days from the date of receipt of the cargo;

10.1.2 in the case of delay, within 21 days from the date on which the cargo was placed 

at the disposal of the person entitled to delivery.

10.1.3 in the case of non-delivery of the cargo, within 120 days from the date of receipt 

of the cargo for transportation by the Carrier.

10.2 Such complaint may be made to the Carrier who issued the Cargo Receipt, or to 

the first Carrier or to the last Carrier or to the Carrier, which performed the carriage 

during which the loss, damage or delay took place.

10.3 Unless a written complaint is made within the time limits specified in 10.1 no 

action may be brought against Carrier.

10.4 Any rights to damages against Carrier shall be extinguished unless an action is 

brought within two years from the date of arrival at the destination, or from the date on 

which the aircraft ought to have arrived, or from the date on which the carriage stopped.

11. Shipper shall comply with all applicable laws and government regulations of any 

country to or from which the cargo may be carried, including those relating to the 

packing, carriage or delivery of the cargo, and shall furnish such information to the 

Carrier as may be necessary to comply with such laws and regulations. Carrier is not 

liable to shipper and shipper shall indemnify Carrier for loss or expense due to shipper’s 

failure to comply with this provision.

12. No agent, employee or representative of Carrier has authority to alter, modify or 

waive any provisions of this contract.
RP1670-June2012 Page 22 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘C’

THE RECEIPT FOR THE CARGO (ALSO KNOWN AS THE CARGO RECEIPT) - 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND COMPLETION 

Measurements of the Cargo Receipt

The outside measurements of the Cargo Receipt shall be maintained exactly as shown 

in Appendix ‘A’. 

Description of the Cargo Receipt 

The Cargo Receipt shall have the same layout, wording and shading as specified in 

Appendix ‘B’; 

Completion of the Cargo Receipt 

The circled numbers in the following text correspond with the numbers in the boxes of 

the specimen illustrated in Appendix ‘C’.

1. Shipment Identification 

The shipment identification number shall be entered and will be composed of the 

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.1.1 (DE 112) / 2.1.3 (DE 113) / 17.2.2 (DE 202) / 17.2.3 (DE 201) / 17.2.4 

(DE 200) 

A hyphen shall be inserted between DE 112 and DE 113 and also between DE 113 and 

DE 202.

2. Shipper Name 

The shipper’s name shall be entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP 

data: 

FWB Ref. 5.4.2 (DE 300) 

3. Issued By 

The name of the carrier issuing the cargo receipt should be entered and would be 

aligned with DE 112 of the shipment identification. A company logo may also be 

entered. 

1 

2 

3 
RP1670-June2012 Page 23 

4. Day/Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) 

The Day/Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed 

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.1 (DE 202) / 3.3.2(DE 201) / 3.3.3(DE 203), if DE 203 is present.

A space shall be inserted between DE 202 and DE 201 and also between DE 201 and 

DE 203.

The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the Day/Month/Time (of Shipment 

Acceptance) box but can be deduced from the date of the Shipment Identification box. 

5. Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) 

The Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed 

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.5 (DE 313) 

6. Total Number of Pieces 

The Total Number of Pieces determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.3 or 2.4.2 (DE 701) 

7. Weight / Code 

7.1 Weight 

The amount of the weight determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.5 (DE 600) 

7.2 Code 

The measurement unit code for the weight amount determined at acceptance shall be 

entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.4 (DE 601) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 600 and DE 601.

8. Volume 

The volume amount and its measurement unit code determined at acceptance may be 

entered if available and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
RP1670-June2012 Page 24 

FSU Ref. 3.8.2 (DE 500) / 3.8.1 (DE 604) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 500 and DE 604 

9. Airport/City Code (of Origin) 

The Airport/City Code (of Origin) shall be entered and will be composed of the following 

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.1 (DE 313)

10. Airport/City Code (of Destination) 

The Airport/City Code (of Destination) shall be entered and will be composed of the 

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.2 (DE 313)

11. Airport/City Code (of Routing) 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) can be entered and will be composed of the following 

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 4.2.2 and 4.3.2 (DE 313)

A slant shall be inserted between DE 313 and any repeats of DE 313. 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) must be entered if: 

The places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party 

and one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then 

an indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated.

10 

11 

12 
RP1670-June2012 Page 25 

Appendix ‘A’ 
RP1670-June2012 Page 26 

Appendix ‘B’ 

Notes: 

1. The boxes with bold titles indicate information specified by the Convention for 

the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at 

Montreal on 28 May 1999 (MC99) and The Convention for the Unification of 

Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 

October 1929 as amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4). Routing would only 

be included if applicable as specified in the Articles; 

 

2. Airport/City Code (of Routing): As per MC99 and MP4, if the places of 

departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party and one 

or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then an 

indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated; 

3. The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the “Day/Month/Time (of 

Shipment Acceptance)” box but can be deduced from the date of the “Shipment 

Identification” box. 
RP1670-June2012 Page 27 

Appendix ‘C’ 
RP1670-June2012 Page 28 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’

Annex ‘D’

 

TERMS FOR INITIATING AND CONCLUDING CARGO CONTRACTS IN RESPECT 

OF WARSAW CARRIAGE

 

Where the Parties are contracting in relation to an international carriage of cargo within 

the meaning of either the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to 

International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 (the “Warsaw 

Convention”) and/or the Warsaw Convention, as amended at the Hague, 1955 

(“Warsaw-Hague”), but falling outside the meaning ascribed to such carriage within 

either or both of the Conventions (as defined in Section 1 of Annex A of the Agreement) 

(each such carriage referred herein as a “Warsaw Carriage”), the Parties hereby agree 

to take the following steps in order to ensure that each Warsaw Carriage complies fully 

with the procedures relating to air consignment notes and air waybills set out 

respectively in the Warsaw Convention and Warsaw-Hague and that in any event any 

Cargo Contract in respect of a Warsaw Carriage shall be entered into in accordance with 

and subject to the following provisions: 

1. AIR WAYBILL COMPLETION

Upon receipt of an air waybill data message (e.g. FWB) from Freight Forwarder for a 

Cargo Contract to be flown on a Warsaw Carriage route, Freight Forwarder hereby 

authorizes Carrier to make out a conforming air waybill relating to the carriage of the 

cargo described in such message (“Warsaw Cargo”) on behalf of Freight Forwarder

pursuant to Resolution 600a, Attachment A, Section 3. Freight Forwarder agrees that 

such making out of the air waybill by the Carrier on its behalf complies with article 6(5) of 

both the Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague, as applicable. 

2. EDI MESSAGE DISCREPANCIES

Upon receipt by the Carrier of Warsaw Cargo, Carrier will confirm that such cargo is 

ready for carriage through a status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) sent to Freight 

Forwarder. In the event Carrier cannot confirm that such cargo is ready for carriage or 

that the data in the status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) to the Freight Forwarder 

deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces in the air waybill data message 

(e.g. FWB) from the Freight Forwarder, the Warsaw Cargo shall be treated according to 

the exception management procedures agreed between the Parties as set forth in 

Section 3 of Annex A. 

3. SIGNATURES ON AIR WAYBILL

The Carrier shall be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder authorizations, representations 

and undertakings set out in Section 5 of this Annex D and on that basis may upon 

acceptance of, but prior to loading of the Warsaw Cargo, stamp or print Freight 

Forwarder’s signature, or a Third Party’s signature if applicable pursuant to Section 6 of 

this Annex D, as “Shipper” on the first and second Originals 1 and 2 of the air waybill
RP1670-June2012 Page 29 

(marked “for issuing Carrier” and “for Consignee” respectively) for and on behalf of the 

Freight Forwarder (or Third Party if applicable) and countersign the Original 2 and sign 

the Original 3 of the air waybill (marked “for consignee” and “for Shipper” respectively) in 

its capacity as carrier and then shall return the Original 3 to the Freight Forwarder. 

Freight Forwarder further agrees that the stamping or printing of the signature on the air 

waybill by the Carrier on behalf of Freight Forwarder or a Third Party as set forth in this 

Section 3 of this Annex D complies fully with the requirements of article 6(4) of the 

Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague and with the giving of notice to the Freight 

Forwarder of possible limits on the liability of Carrier in respect of loss of or damage to 

the Warsaw Cargo required under such Conventions. 

4. CONCLUSION OF CARGO CONTRACTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE

Cargo Contracts for purposes of Warsaw Carriage under this Annex D shall be 

concluded upon the stamping or printing of the Shipper’s signature on the air waybill as 

set forth in Section 3 hereof, and such Cargo Contracts shall be governed by the 

Conditions of Contract printed on the reverse side of such air waybill(s) as set forth in 

the then current Cargo Services Conference Resolution 600b. 

5. FREIGHT FORWARDER REPRESENTATIONS

Freight Forwarder represents to Carrier that: 

a) Freight Forwarder has the full and unequivocal authority to enter into this 

Agreement and in particular to assume and be bound by the 

representations, undertakings and obligations set out in this Annex D; and

b) Throughout the term of the Agreement Freight Forwarder shall have the 

full and unequivocal authority to appoint Carrier as Freight Forwarder’s

agent for the purpose of actions required to be undertaken by Carrier 

pursuant to this Annex D. 

c) Carrier may at all times be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder’s

representations and undertakings herein contained and shall be under no 

obligation whatsoever to make any enquiries as to whether or not any or 

all of these authorizations have been revoked. 

d) in the event of a conflict between the provisions of this Annex D and the 

rest of the Agreement the provisions of this Annex D shall prevail. 

6. THIRD-PARTY SHIPMENTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE

For Warsaw Carriage involving a Third Party as Shipper, as further described in Section 

4.4 of the Agreement; Freight Forwarder shall comply with the conditions set forth in 

Section 4.4, 4.5 and Section 4.6. 

Freight Forwarder shall accordingly identify the Third Party as the “Shipper” in the air 

waybill data message (e.g. FWB). 
RP1670-June2012 Page 30 

THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6 OF THIS 

ANNEX D FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT BETWEEN A 

THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR SHALL AUTHORIZE 

CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO 

MAKE OUT CONFORMING AIR WAYBILLS AND STAMP OR PRINT SIGNATURES 

ON SUCH AIR WAYBILLS ON BEHALF OF THE THIRD PARTY BY TRANSMITTING 

SUCH EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT 

FORWARDER HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO 

PERMIT SUCH ISSUANCE. 
www.iata.org

International Air Transport Association

Route de l'Aéroport 33, PO Box 416 

CH-1215 Geneva 15 Airport 

Switzerland 

 

MEMORANDUM 

CSC/MailVote/003/2012 

TO: All Members of IATA 

Cargo Services Conference Accredited Representatives 

 

FROM: Secretary, Cargo Services Conference 

DATE: 5 June 2012 

SUBJECT: RESULT – CSC MAIL VOTE (S072) – RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Members are referred to Memorandum CSC/MailVote/001/2012 dated 14 May 2012 seeking 

approval for amendment to Recommended Practice 1670. 

The voting period ended on 4 June 2012 and more than two-thirds affirmative votes were 

received from voting Members who have voted within the prescribed period. Accordingly, the 

amendment to Recommended Practice 1670 is hereby declared adopted by the Cargo 

Services Conference. The Finally Adopted Resolution (FAR) for government filing will be 

circulated shortly. 

Please note that the following typographical correction was made to Attachment 'A', Annex 'A', 

Section 4 “Rejection Message” to align with the remainder of the document. 

4) REJECTION MESSAGE 

The notification to the Shipper Freight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the air waybill data 

(FWB) has been rejected by the Carrier’s system and/or by his third party service provider due to syntax 

errors shall be performed using the standard electronic Error (FNA) message as per Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual. 

The final version of Recommended Practice 1670 is attached herewith for your reference. 

Thank you for your participation. 

Sincerely, 

Frederic Leger 

Head of Cargo Business Process & Standards, IATA 

 Attachment 
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

CARRIAGE OF CARGO USING ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

CSC(MAIL S072)1670 Expiry: Indefinite 

 Type: B

RECOMMENDED that:

Members engaged in the carriage of cargo using Electronic Data Interchange to transmit

the information of the Shipment Record shall use the procedures and standards as 

indicated in Attachment ‘A’ – MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA 

INTERCHANGE (EDI) as amended from time to time.

Members are encouraged to obtain the approval of their own Legal Department prior to

entering into any agreement. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 1
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) 

It is agreed that the goods shipped pursuant to this Agreement are accepted in 

apparent good order and condition (except as noted) for carriage SUBJECT TO

THE CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT. ALL GOODS MAY BE CARRIED BY ANY

OTHER MEANS INCLUDING ROAD OR ANY OTHER CARRIER UNLESS SPECIFIC 

CONTRARY INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN BY THE SHIPPER, AND SHIPPER

AGREES THAT THE SHIPMENT MAY BE CARRIED VIA INTERMEDIATE STOPPING

PLACES WHICH THE CARRIER DEEMS APPROPRIATE. THE SHIPPER’S

ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE NOTICE CONCERNING CARRIER’S LIMITATION 

OF LIABILITY in the Conditions of Contract. Shipper may increase such limitation 

of liability by declaring a higher value for carriage and paying a supplemental 

charge if required. 

INSURANCE – If carrier offers insurance, and such insurance is requested in 

accordance with the conditions thereof, indicate amount to be insured in figures

in field "Amount of Insurance".

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR 

ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

Between 

(Party A) 

of (address) 

represented by (name)

(hereinafter referred to as “Freight Forwarder1

”) 

And 

(Party B) 

 of (address) 

 represented by (name)

 (hereinafter referred to as “Carrier”)

Recitals 

WHEREAS the Parties hereto have, or expect to have, commercial dealings with each 

other; 

WHEREAS the Parties desire to improve the efficiency of any future commercial 

transactions by replacing the flow of paper air waybills between them with electronic 

data interchange; 

WHEREAS the Parties understand the technical and legal consequences of using

electronic data interchange to conduct commercial transactions; and 

WHEREAS the Parties’ intention and desire is to facilitate and conduct paperless 

electronic cargo transactions, 

 1

 “Freight Forwarder” is simply a placeholder for the contracting party, such as “Shipper”;

“Intermediary”, “Cargo Agent” or the entity name. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 2
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows: 

Article 1 — Preamble 

1.1 The foregoing recitals and any footnotes, are incorporated into and shall form an

integral part of the Agreement. 

1.2 This Agreement is suitable for use on any traffic routes where the preservation of the

Shipment Record through electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill is permitted under

international convention and local law. For trade routes that are not governed by any

international convention, the Parties should ensure that the use of electronic means in lieu

of a paper air waybill is permissible under the local laws governing such traffic route. The 

Parties recognize that a paper air waybill may be required by Carrier to regulate liability 

exposure on traffic routes where such waybill is necessary and electronic means are not 

recognized under the applicable international convention and local law. 

Note: Text in italics refers to issues where the Parties will wish to choose between

available options. Spaces have been left blank (....) to be filled accordingly. 

Article 2 — Definitions 

For the purpose of the Agreement, the terms listed below are defined as follows: 

2.1 “Agreement” shall mean this Agreement, together with Annex ‘A’, Annex ‘B’, Annex 

‘C’, and Annex ‘D’. In addition, the provisions of Resolution 670 and Recommended

Practice 1672 of the IATA Cargo Services Conference Resolutions Manual are 

incorporated into the Agreement by reference, as if recited at length herein. 

2.2 “EDI” or “Electronic Data Interchange” shall mean the electronic transfer, from 

computer to computer, of commercial, administrative and transport data using an agreed

standard to structure an EDI Message, as set out in the Annex ‘A’. 

2.3 “EDI Message” shall mean a message consisting of a set of segments, structured 

using an agreed standard, prepared in a computer readable format, transmitted via EDI, 

and capable of being automatically and unambiguously processed. 

2.4 “IATA Message Standard” shall mean the message standard specified, published

and updated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from time to time. 

2.5 “Cargo Contract” shall mean a contract between the Parties, entered into by EDI

under this Agreement, for the transportation of, and settlement with respect to a specific 

cargo shipment. 

2.6 “Parties” shall mean the parties identified on Page 1. Party shall mean either of

them. 

2.7 “IATA” shall mean the International Air Transport Association. 

2.8 “Cargo Receipt” or “Receipt for the Cargo” shall mean a document (in paper or 

electronic form) which is provided to the Shipper, by the Carrier in paper form unless 

RP1670-June2012 Page 3
otherwise agreed between the Parties, creating a Shipment Record as a substitute for the

issuance of an air waybill and which permits identification of the shipment that has been 

accepted and deemed “ready for carriage”. 

The technical aspects of the Cargo Receipt shall be as described in Annex ‘A’ and in the

form set forth in Annex ‘C’.2

2.9 “Shipment Record” shall mean any record of the Cargo Contract preserved by Carrier.

The technical aspects of the Shipment Record shall be as specified in Annex ‘A’. 

2.10 “Warehouse Receipt” shall mean a document (in paper or electronic form) provided

to the Freight Forwarder by the Carrier acknowledging the receipt of the cargo shipment

as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) the Shipper; (b) 

the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (c) the date, time and place 

received by the Carrier; (d) reference the shipment identification number covering the 

specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of the places of

departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should also be

specified.

2.11 “Shipper’s Delivery Note” shall mean a document (in paper or electronic form) 

provided to the Carrier by the Freight Forwarder acknowledging the delivery of the cargo

shipment as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) the 

Shipper; (b) the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (c) the date, time

and place received by the Carrier; (d) reference the shipment identification number 

covering the specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of

the places of departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should 

also be specified. 

It is understood that there will be a transition period where some Parties may depend on

paper for handover purposes3

. Parties may use the paper form of their choosing for the 

 2

 In the event that the Carrier is unable to provide the Freight Forwarder with the Cargo Receipt in

paper form upon Freight Forwarder’s delivery of the cargo to the Carrier due to technical, 

procedural or other reasons, the Carrier must provide the Freight Forwarder with a Warehouse

Receipt (in lieu of a Warehouse Receipt, the Carrier may verify the information on and 

countersign the Shipper's Delivery Note. Once verified and countersigned by the Carrier such 

delivery note shall serve as a Warehouse Receipt). Transportation of such cargo shipment by the

Carrier continues to be subject to Carrier's subsequent confirmation that the cargo shipment is 

“ready for carriage”. For purposes of the International Conventions (MC99 or MP4, as defined in

Annex ‘A’), such Warehouse Receipt shall be deemed an interim “cargo receipt” (also known as 

“receipt for the cargo” under MP4) until the Carrier has determined that the cargo is "ready for 

carriage" and can produce the actual Cargo Receipt as per Annex ‘A’ hereof. Accordingly, the 

Cargo Receipt shall serve as prima facie evidence of the conclusion of the contract, of the

acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of carriage mentioned therein, except that the 

Warehouse Receipt shall nonetheless continue to serve as prima facie evidence as to the weight

and number of pieces delivered to Carrier at the date, time, and place specified on the 

Warehouse Receipt. The Parties shall archive the Warehouse Receipt pursuant to the archiving

requirements set forth in Article 8 Recording and Storage of EDI Messages. 

3

 The Party providing the Warehouse Receipt shall determine its form so long as it complies with

the requirements of Sections 2.10 or 2.11. In the event that a Party uses the form of an air waybill 

as a Warehouse Receipt, any mention or reference to conditions of contract therein shall be

disregarded and considered null and void. When using the form of an air waybill the form should

RP1670-June2012 Page 4
Warehouse Receipt (or Shipper’s Delivery Note if used as a Warehouse Receipt). 

However it is envisioned that Parties shall endeavor to establish electronic means for the 

Cargo Receipt and for the Warehouse Receipt. 

2.12 “Shipper” (which is equivalent to the term “Consignor”) shall mean the person 

whose name appears on the Air Waybill or Shipment Record, as the party contracting

with Carrier for the Carriage of Cargo.

Article 3 — Object and Scope 

 

3.1 It is the expectation of the Freight Forwarder and the Carrier that they shall be doing 

business together in the future. The objective of the Agreement is to permit the Parties to 

conclude legally binding Cargo Contracts by electronic means. However, nothing in the 

Agreement shall create any obligation for either Party to transact with the other, nor any 

obligation of exclusivity to deal only with the other, nor shall Carrier be obligated to

contract pursuant to this Agreement for contracts to be concluded in respect of “Warsaw 

Carriage” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement. 

3.2 In the absence of an express written agreement to the contrary, the provisions of the

Agreement shall only apply to future Cargo Contracts, and not to any other commercial 

relations between the Parties. All shipments covered as a Cargo Contract under this 

Agreement shall be clearly identified as an EDI Message shipment by the Freight

Forwarder through the corresponding EDI message. Cargo Contracts concluded in 

respect of “Warsaw Carriage,” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement, shall be 

concluded in accordance with the terms set out in that Annex. 

3.3 The Conditions of Contract detailed in Annex ‘B’ shall apply to all Cargo Contracts 

under this Agreement, except (i) as otherwise agreed in writing; or (ii) for Cargo

Contracts concluded under Annex D. 

Article 4 — Validity and Formation of Contract 

4.1 The Parties acknowledge and agree that EDI is a proper means for concluding

Cargo Contracts and agree not to contest the validity or terms of Cargo Contracts on the 

basis that they were concluded by EDI, that the original records are in electronic form, or

that no signature(s) evidence such Cargo Contracts. 

4.1.1 Without prejudice to the provisions of clause 3.2, this clause 4.1 and the overriding 

objective of the Agreement a Cargo Receipt will be made available. 

4.2 Each Party shall ensure that the content of an EDI Message sent or received

complies with the law of the country where the shipment is tendered to the Carrier, and 

shall take reasonable measures to inform the other Party of any inconsistency without 

delay. 

 include a clear indication on its face that it is a “Warehouse Receipt” only and not an air waybill to

avoid confusion. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 5
4.3 A Cargo Contract shall be concluded once the Carrier has accepted the cargo and 

can provide a Cargo Receipt (or a Warehouse Receipt in the event that a Cargo Receipt

cannot be provided at the time of delivery of the cargo shipment as per Footnote 1). 

Transportation of the cargo shipment, however, shall continue to be subject to (i) the

Carrier confirming to the Freight Forwarder that the shipment is “ready for carriage” and

(ii) Freight Forwarder complying with all other applicable rules and regulations. 

In the event that the EDI Message from the Carrier confirming that the shipment is 

“ready for carriage” deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces from the

EDI Message sent by the Freight Forwarder initiating the Shipment Record, the cargo

shipment shall be treated according to the exception management procedures agreed 

between the Parties. The particulars shall be incorporated into section 3 of the Annex 

‘A’. 

4.4 In the event that Freight Forwarder wishes to enter into a Cargo Contract on behalf

of a third party (the “Third Party”), the Freight Forwarder warrants and represents that,

prior to entering into such Cargo Contracts, it has obtained the authorization from the 

Third Party to act as its agent for purposes of concluding Cargo Contracts, including but 

not limited to identifying the Third Party as the “Shipper” on the EDI Message initiating 

the Cargo Contract. Freight Forwarder shall ensure that such EDI Messages are

properly identified such that Carrier can recognize that the Freight Forwarder is sending 

and receiving EDI Messages on behalf of the Third Party for purposes of concluding a 

Cargo Contract between the Third Party and Carrier. 

4.5 THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES BY FREIGHT FORWARDER AS SET

FORTH IN SECTION 4.4 FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT

BETWEEN A THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR (“THIRD 

PARTY SHIPMENTS”) SHALL AUTHORIZE CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED 

BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO ISSUE A CARGO RECEIPT IN THE NAME 

OF THE THIRD PARTY, A COPY OF WHICH SHALL BE DELIVERED TO THE

FREIGHT FORWARDER AS THIRD PARTY'S AGENT. BY TRANSMITTING SUCH

EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT FORWARDER 

HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO PERMIT SUCH 

ISSUANCE.

4.6 The Freight Forwarder shall indemnify the Carrier against all damage suffered by it,

or by any other person to whom Carrier is liable, by reason of the Freight Forwarder's 

breach of the warranties and representations set out in above Article 4.4 and for any 

irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of the particulars and statements set forth

in the EDI Messages furnished by the Freight Forwarder or on the Third Party’s behalf.

The representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.4 and this indemnity obligation 

shall survive termination of this Agreement. 

Article 5 — Admissibility in Evidence of EDI Messages 

The Parties agree that in the event of any dispute, the records of EDI Messages,

maintained in accordance with the Agreement, shall be admissible as evidence before

the Courts, any arbitrator(s), other tribunals, or any other means of dispute resolution.

RP1670-June2012 Page 6
However such evidence may be challenged by any other means of evidence (e.g., any 

documents, witnesses, etc.). 

Article 6 — Processing and Acknowledgement of Receipt of EDI Messages 

6.1 EDI Messages shall be processed as soon as possible after receipt, but in any 

event, within the time limits specified in Annex ‘A’. 

6.2 An acknowledgment of receipt of any EDI Message is not required unless stipulated

in Annex ‘A’ or to be a condition of any particular Cargo Contract. 

An acknowledgment of receipt may be requested, by specific provision in Annex ‘A’ or 

by express request of the sender of an EDI Message. 

6.3 Where an acknowledgment is required, a time limit shall be specified for receipt of

the acknowledgment. The receiver of an EDI Message, which specifies a requirement

for an acknowledgment, shall not act upon it until such acknowledgment is sent. 

6.4 If the sender does not receive the acknowledgment within the time limit specified in 

Annex ‘A’, he may, upon notification to the recipient of the EDI Message, treat the 

Shipment Record initiation as rejected from the expiration of that time limit and the 

shipment shall be handled as agreed between the Parties (in the absence of agreed 

procedures the Carrier policy will be applicable). 

Article 7 - Confidentiality and Protection of Data 

7.1 The Parties shall ensure that EDI Messages shall be maintained in confidence and

not disclosed or transmitted to other persons except: (i) in fulfillment of the Cargo 

Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise previously agreed to in writing by the Parties; 

or (iii) unless compelled to do so by operation of law or by order of a competent court or 

tribunal, government authorities or agencies at the origin, destination or transit country to

disclose the confidential information in connection with the relevant Cargo Contract. 

7.2 In the case where in the relevant Cargo Contract the Freight Forwarder appears as

the “Shipper”, the information contained in the Freight Forwarder's 'House Waybill’ (if

any), including but not limited to, the name and address of the shipper and/or consignee

shall be maintained in confidence and not disclosed or transmitted to other persons 

except: (i) in fulfillment of the Cargo Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise 

previously agreed to in writing by the Parties; or (iii) unless compelled to do so by 

operation of law or by order of a competent court or tribunal, government authorities or 

agencies at the origin, destination or transit country to disclose the confidential 

information in connection with the relevant Cargo Contract. 

7.3 The Parties shall comply with all applicable legislation concerning data protection. 

Article 8— Recording and Storage of EDI Messages 

8.1 The EDI Messages which comprise the Shipment Record, as set forth in Annex ‘A’,

shall be issued by the Carrier and shall be stored by each Party or their agents, 

unaltered and secured, for a minimum of three years. Parties recognize that their

RP1670-June2012 Page 7
national laws may require archiving of EDI messages for a period of time in excess of 

the time limit set forth herein for accounting, taxation, or other purposes outside the 

scope of this Agreement. 

Note: Parties may want to consider the two years limitation period in the international

conventions and applicable fiscal laws — as well as the distinction between operational 

and accounting requirements.

8.2 Unless otherwise provided by national laws, EDI Messages shall be stored by the

sender (or their agent/s) in the transmitted format and by the receiver (or their agent/s) 

in the format in which they are received. 

8.3 The Parties shall ensure that electronic or computer records of the EDI Messages 

shall be readily retrievable, are capable of being reproduced in a human readable form 

and of being printed, if required. 

Article 9 — Operational Requirements for EDI 

9.1 Operational Equipment 

Each Party shall provide and maintain, at its own cost, all necessary equipment to fulfill 

its obligations under the Agreement including hardware, software and services

necessary to transmit, receive, translate, record, print and store EDI Messages. 

9.2 Means of Communication 

The Parties have detailed in Annex ‘A’ the means of communication to be used,

including the telecommunication protocols, and if required, the choice of third party 

service provider(s). 

9.3 EDI Message Standards 

All EDI Messages shall be transmitted in accordance with the IATA Message

Standards, recommendations and procedures as approved and updated by the Cargo

Services Conference from time to time. 

Article 10 — Technical Specifications and Requirements 

10.1 The Parties may agree to test the computer system of the other, to assure that it

meets the integrity and security standards detailed at Article 11 below. 

10.2 The Parties may agree to submit to a third party technical audit within 14 days of 

executing this Agreement and to have further periodic audits of their computer systems,

at a mutually convenient time and subject to reasonable notice. For the avoidance of

doubt, each party shall bear its own audit costs. (Numerous scenarios are possible, e.g.

third party technical audit, audits before signing, audits after signing, right to periodic 

audits, and it is not practical to draft text for each). 

RP1670-June2012 Page 8
10.3 The Parties agree to accept as prima facie evidence of the integrity and security of

the other Party’s systems any certification by a recognized independent certification

agency. 

Note: Any EDI interchange agreement is predicated upon each Party being certain the 

system of the other meets generally acceptable standards of integrity (unintentional

alteration, modification or destruction after transmission) and security (to prevent 

intentional alteration, modification or destruction of messages). 

Given the fundamental importance of being certain that messages cannot be altered, it is

expected that the Parties will want to draft unique and specific integrity and security 

clauses, or incorporate them in the Annex ‘A’. 

Article 11 — Security of EDI Messages 

11.1 Each Party shall implement and maintain security procedures in accordance with

the generally accepted best practices, in order to ensure the authenticity of EDI

Messages, and the protection of EDI Messages against the risk of unauthorized access, 

alteration, delay, destruction or loss. 

(Security procedures to verify the origin, and the verification of integrity, in order to 

identify the sender of an EDI Message and to ascertain that any EDI Message received

is complete and has not been corrupted, are essential. Such security procedures and 

measures may be expressly specified in the Annex ‘A’.) 

11.2 Each Party shall immediately inform the other if it becomes aware of any breach in

its own security procedures, and take all necessary steps to remedy the problem. 

11.3 A Party informed of or who otherwise becomes aware of a breach in its security,

shall immediately give written notice of that to the other Party, who in turn, can 

immediately suspend the application of this Agreement and cease to act on EDI from

that Party until the breach has been resolved to its reasonable satisfaction. 

Article 12 — Authentication 

12.1 The Parties shall establish a mutually satisfactory procedure for confirming the

authenticity of each other’s EDI Messages. 

12.2 As between themselves, and without prejudice to any recourse against a third

party, the Parties agree that the sender of an EDI Message shall be responsible for the

integrity of it, and responsible for any unauthorized use of or access to its authentication

codes/procedures prior to receipt of the message on the recipient’s computer, unless 

such error, unauthorized use or access results from the acts or omissions of the

recipient. The recipient shall be responsible for the integrity of the EDI Message, any 

unauthorized use of or access to the recipient’s authentication codes/procedures, after 

reception of the message on its computer unless such unauthorized use or access 

results from the acts or omissions of the sender. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 9
Article 13 — Non-compliance 

In the event that the EDI communication system of a Party does not comply with the 

integrity and security standards as required by the Agreement, and there is a

disagreement with respect to an EDI Message, the version of the Party whose system 

does comply will be deemed to be correct. 

Article 14 — Liability

14.1 The Parties shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the other Party 

caused by any delay or failure to perform in accordance with the provision of the

Agreement, where such delay or failure is caused by an impediment beyond that Party’s 

control and which could not reasonably be expected to be taken into account at the time

of conclusion of the Agreement or the consequences of which could not be avoided or 

overcome. 

14.2 If a Party engages any intermediary (service provider) to perform such services as 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, that Party shall be

liable for the intermediary’s acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.3 If a Party requires another Party to use the services of an intermediary to perform 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, the Party who 

requires such use shall be liable to the other Party for damage from that intermediary’s

acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.4 Except where this Agreement states differently, each Party’s liability shall be 

limited to proven compensatory damages, and in any event, no Party to the Agreement

shall be liable for (i) any loss of profits, revenue, contracts, sales, anticipated savings,

goodwill, and reputation; and (ii) special, indirect or consequential losses; or (iii) any

form of non-compensatory damages caused by a failure to perform its obligations under 

the Agreement. 

Article 15 — Dispute Resolution 

15.1 Alternative 1 — Arbitration Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including any question 

regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be settled by the following dispute

resolution process: 

15.1.1 Within 14 days of a dispute arising, the Parties’ representatives shall meet and 

seek to negotiate a resolution; If the Parties are unable to resolve the matter within 45 

days from the dispute arising, the matter shall be referred to mediation to take place 

within 60 days thereafter. 

15.1.2 If the mediation is not able to resolve the dispute, the matter shall be referred to

and finally resolved by arbitration subject to the International Chamber of Commerce

RP1670-June2012 Page 10
(ICC) Rules of Arbitration, before a single arbitrator to be agreed by the Parties, or 

failing agreement, by a panel of three arbitrators to be nominated in accordance with 

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration. 

15.1.3 Arbitration shall be conducted in English and the seat of the Arbitration shall be 

in (...[insert city and country]...). The decision of the Arbitrator(s) shall be final and

binding.

15.2 Alternative 2 — Jurisdiction Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this contract shall be referred to the

courts of (...[insert country]...) which shall have sole jurisdiction. 

Article 16 — Applicable Law 

Without prejudice to any mandatory national law, which may apply to the Parties 

regarding recording and storage of EDI Messages or confidentiality and protection of 

personal data, the Agreement is governed by the laws of (...[insert country]...). 

Shipper certifies that insofar as any part of a consignment contains dangerous goods, all 

measures prescribed by the Dangerous Goods Regulations have been respected. 

Article 17 — General 

17.1 Effect 

The Agreement shall be effective from the date on which it is signed by both Parties, or 

if signed on a different date, the date signed by the latter of the two. 

17.2 Modifications 

The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties on the subject

matter. Any modifications, subsequent agreements or collateral agreements dealing

directly or indirectly with the subject matter contained in the Agreement shall only be

valid if set out in writing and signed by both Parties. This Agreement shall not be

assigned by a Party, unless prior written consent is obtained from the other Party, such

consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. 

17.3 Notices 

Any Notice to the other Party shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified mail, return

receipt requested or by express courier with proof of delivery to the individuals and

addresses indicated below: 

 

RP1670-June2012 Page 11
For the Freight Forwarder For the Carrier 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

Either Party may change its address by notice to the other Party. 

17.4 Termination 

Either Party may terminate the Agreement by giving not less than (.........) days prior 

written Notice. 

 

Notwithstanding termination for any reason, the rights and obligations of the Parties 

referred to in Articles 4, 5, 7, 8 and 14 shall survive termination together with any other 

provision which by its nature survives termination. 

Note: The Parties may want to specify a right of immediate termination in the event of 

bankruptcy, insolvency or similar events, and/or a right to terminate with or without

prior notice if the other Party fails to fulfill its obligation under the present Agreement. 

17.5 Severability 

If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, 

unenforceable or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, that shall not affect: 

1. The validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other provision of this 

Agreement; or 

2. The validity or enforceability in other jurisdictions of that or any other provision

of this Agreement. 

In such cases, this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or

unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein, unless the deletion of such

provision or provisions would result in such a material change so as to cause 

completion of the transactions contemplated herein to be unreasonable. Parties shall 

then negotiate in good faith an appropriate substitute for the provisions deemed invalid. 

17.6 Interpretation 

Words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. 

The headings of articles are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret 

provisions of the Agreement or otherwise affect the substantial provisions. 

In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement and any 

provisions incorporated by reference, as detailed in Article 2.1, the provisions of this 

Agreement shall prevail. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 12
17.7 No Waiver of Rights 

The failure by either Party at any time to require performance by the other of any of its

obligations, shall not affect the right to require such performance at any time thereafter.

A waiver by either Party of a breach or specific delay shall not be taken or held to be a

waiver of any subsequent breach or delay. 

WHEREFORE the Parties have signed: 

................................................... .............................................

 

 Freight Forwarder Carrier 

RP1670-June2012 Page 13
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘A’ 

TECHNICAL ANNEX TO MODEL EDI AGREEMENT

1) CONVENTIONS 

In the event that the Carrier party to the EDI Agreement must make an unscheduled 

stopover at a country that is not signatory of the Convention for the Unification of Certain

Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 as 

amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4), or have ratified the Convention for the 

Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at Montreal on 28

May 1999 (MC99), the Parties shall ensure that they can produce and deliver the Cargo 

Receipt requested by any third party, government authority requesting such

documentation. 

2) EDI MESSAGES 

All EDI Messages shall be structured and used in accordance with the IATA Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual or the Cargo-FACT Message 

Manual or the Cargo-XML Message Manual. This Technical Annex addresses the CargoIMP environment. 

In the event that the Parties wish to exchange particular version numbers of the CargoIMP messages then only FWB version number (....), FSU version number (....) and FNA 

version number (....) will be supported. In case Parties decide to use the Cargo-IMP 

FMA message then only FMA version number (....) will be supported. 

3) SHIPMENT RECORD 

To initiate the Shipment Record information the Freight Forwarder will send the 

completed air waybill data through an electronic message (FWB) as per Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the Carrier prior to the

presentation of the consignment at the Carrier point of acceptance. 

The Cargo Contract shall be subject to the FSU/RCS message being sent to the Freight

Forwarder. In the event that the weight, volume and/or total number of pieces of the

FSU/RCS Message deviates from the weight, volume and/or total number of pieces of

the FWB information the cargo shipment shall be treated according to the exception

management procedures previously agreed between the Parties. 

In case the Carrier cannot access the Shipment Record initiated in his system, at freight 

presentation, a fallback (or recovery) procedure should be agreed and in place between

the Carrier and Freight Forwarder. 

RP1670-June2012 Page 14
4) REJECTION MESSAGE 

The notification to the Freight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the air waybill 

data (FWB) has been rejected by the Carrier’s system and/or by his third party service

provider due to syntax errors shall be performed using the standard electronic Error 

(FNA) message as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual. 

The FNA message should include the Message Improvement Program (MIP) error code

and reasons as per the latest version of the MIP strategy document. 

5) CONFIRMATION MESSAGE 

The confirmation to the Freight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the air 

waybill data (FWB) has been received by the Carrier’s system and/or his third party 

service provider without syntax errors and application errors shall be performed using

the standard electronic Acknowledgment (FMA) message as per the Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual.4

A confirmation message is not required unless otherwise previously agreed by the

Parties in writing. 

In the event that the Freight Forwarder requires a confirmation (acknowledgment) 

message from the Carrier upon receipt of a FWB Message, the Carrier shall send the 

acknowledgment as soon as possible, however, in no case later than (....) minutes after 

receipt of the FWB. In the event that the Carrier fails to send an acknowledgment within

the time period stated, the Shipment Record initiation shall be considered rejected and

the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the Parties (or according to 

the Carrier policy if applicable). 

In the event that the Carrier requires the FWB message from the Freight Forwarder prior 

to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of acceptance and the Freight

Forwarder fails to send the FWB prior to presentation, there shall be no Shipment 

Record and the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the Parties

(or according to the Carrier policy if applicable). 

6) CARGO RECEIPT 

The Cargo Receipt will evidence the conclusion of the contract (“including acceptance of

all contract terms”) and evidence the acceptance of the cargo as “ready for carriage” (as 

indicated in the IATA Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 8335

). 

The Carrier will send the standard electronic Status Update (FSU) message with the 

standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) as per Cargo Interchange

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the Freight Forwarder. 

 4

 Note: Alternatively the Cargo 2000 route map milestone (MUP-FWB) message could be used. In such a

case both Parties need to be Cargo 2000 members and need to have agreed this previously.

5

Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 833 Ready for Carriage Consignments

RP1670-June2012 Page 15
The Carrier will send to the Freight Forwarder the electronic Status Update (FSU) 

message with the standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) including 

the actual event time, as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) as

soon as possible after the presentation of the freight by the Freight Forwarder to the

Carrier’s point of acceptance and no later than ___ (if left blank, no time limit shall apply) 

minutes after the determination by the Carrier that the freight is indeed “ready for 

carriage”.

The Cargo Receipt will confirm the FWB message information and FSU/RCS message 

information. The date of the Cargo Receipt shall be the date that the Carrier transmits 

the FSU/RCS message. 

The Cargo Receipt document shall be produced either as a paper or electronic version 

as agreed between the Parties in the layout of the Cargo Receipt as described in the

Annex ‘C’ of this Agreement. 

 

Carrier will only send a FSU/RCS message if a FWB message is received from the

Shipper at least (....) minutes prior to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of

acceptance. The Parties shall agree on the process to be followed in case the FWB

message is not received in the agreed period of time. 

7) ACCESS TO THE SHIPMENT RECORD BY THE CONSIGNEE 

The Consignee may need to have access to the Cargo Receipt containing weight,

volume and number of pieces.

The Carrier, upon request by the Freight Forwarder, may provide a copy of the Cargo 

Receipt to the Consignee. 

8) CHARGES CORRECTION ADVICE (CCA)

In the case of discrepancies that affect charges between the data contained in the FWB 

message as transmitted by the Freight Forwarder and the data contained in the 

FSU/RCS message as transmitted by the Carrier, the Carrier shall send a Cargo 

Correction Advice to the Freight Forwarder unless otherwise agreed by the Parties. 

9) BAR CODE LABELS

For cargo acceptance, shipments must be labeled with machine-readable cargo labels 

that are in accordance with the specifications of IATA Cargo Services Conference

Resolution 6066

, Bar Coded Label.

 6

 Cargo Services Conference Resolution 606 Bar Coded Label 

RP1670-June2012 Page 16
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘B’

Notice: the provisions of Resolution 600i, including the Conditions of Contract set 

forth therein, are incorporated into this Agreement by this reference. The current

Conditions of Contract as set forth in Resolution 600i are re-printed in this Annex 

B for the convenience of the parties. The parties agree to be bound by the current 

version of the Resolution 600i Conditions of Contract as amended from time to

time by the Cargo Services Conference and re-printed in the Cargo Services

Conference Resolutions Manual website without further amendment to this

Agreement.

[INSERT CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT FOR CONTRACTS CONCLUDED BY

ELECTRONIC MEANSAS SET FORTH IN THE CURRENT VERSION OF CARGO 

SERVICES CONFERENCE RESOLUTION 600i] 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 17 9-May-2012 
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘C’

THE RECEIPT FOR THE CARGO (ALSO KNOWN AS THE CARGO RECEIPT) - 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND COMPLETION 

Measurements of the Cargo Receipt

The outside measurements of the Cargo Receipt shall be maintained exactly as shown

in Appendix ‘A’. 

Description of the Cargo Receipt 

The Cargo Receipt shall have the same layout, wording and shading as specified in 

Appendix ‘B’; 

Completion of the Cargo Receipt 

The circled numbers in the following text correspond with the numbers in the boxes of

the specimen illustrated in Appendix ‘C’.

1. Shipment Identification 1 

The shipment identification number shall be entered and will be composed of the

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.1.1 (DE 112) / 2.1.3 (DE 113) / 17.2.2 (DE 202) / 17.2.3 (DE 201) / 17.2.4

(DE 200) 

A hyphen shall be inserted between DE 112 and DE 113 and also between DE 113 and

DE 202.

2. Shipper Name 2 

The shipper’s name shall be entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP 

data: 

FWB Ref. 5.4.2 (DE 300) 

3. Issued By 3 

The name of the carrier issuing the cargo receipt should be entered and would be 

aligned with DE 112 of the shipment identification. A company logo may also be

entered. 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 18 9-May-2012 
4. Day 4 /Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) 

The Day/Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed 

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.1 (DE 202) / 3.3.2(DE 201) / 3.3.3(DE 203), if DE 203 is present.

A space shall be inserted between DE 202 and DE 201 and also between DE 201 and 

DE 203.

The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the Day/Month/Time (of Shipment 

Acceptance) box but can be deduced from the date of the Shipment Identification box.

5. Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) 5 

The Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.5 (DE 313) 

6 6. Total Number of Pieces 

The Total Number of Pieces determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.3 or 2.4.2 (DE 701) 

7. Weight / Code 

7 7.1 Weight 

The amount of the weight determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.5 (DE 600) 

7.2 Code 8 

The measurement unit code for the weight amount determined at acceptance shall be

entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.4 (DE 601) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 600 and DE 601.

8. Volume 9 

The volume amount and its measurement unit code determined at acceptance may be

entered if available and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data:

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 19 9-May-2012 
FSU Ref. 3.8.2 (DE 500) / 3.8.1 (DE 604) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 500 and DE 604 

9. Airport/City Code (of Origin) 10 

The Airport/City Code (of Origin) shall be entered and will be composed of the following 

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.1 (DE 313)

11 10. Airport/City Code (of Destination) 

The Airport/City Code (of Destination) shall be entered and will be composed of the

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.2 (DE 313)

12 11. Airport/City Code (of Routing) 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) can be entered and will be composed of the following

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 4.2.2 and 4.3.2 (DE 313)

A slant shall be inserted between DE 313 and any repeats of DE 313. 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) must be entered if: 

The places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party 

and one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then 

an indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated.

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 20 9-May-2012 
Appendix ‘A’ 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 21 9-May-2012 
Appendix ‘B’ 

Notes: 

1. The boxes with bold titles indicate information specified by the Convention for

the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at 

Montreal on 28 May 1999 (MC99) and The Convention for the Unification of

Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 

October 1929 as amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4). Routing would only

be included if applicable as specified in the Articles; 

 

2. Airport/City Code (of Routing): As per MC99 and MP4, if the places of

departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party and one 

or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then an 

indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated; 

3. The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the “Day/Month/Time (of 

Shipment Acceptance)” box but can be deduced from the date of the “Shipment 

Identification” box. 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 22 9-May-2012 
Appendix ‘C’ 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 23 9-May-2012 
RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘D’ 

 

TERMS FOR INITIATING AND CONCLUDING CARGO CONTRACTS IN RESPECT

OF WARSAW CARRIAGE 

 

Where the Parties are contracting in relation to an international carriage of cargo within 

the meaning of either the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to 

International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 (the “Warsaw 

Convention”) and/or the Warsaw Convention, as amended at the Hague, 1955

(“Warsaw-Hague”), but falling outside the meaning ascribed to such carriage within

either or both of the Conventions (as defined in Section 1 of Annex A of the Agreement)

(each such carriage referred herein as a “Warsaw Carriage”), the Parties hereby agree 

to take the following steps in order to ensure that each Warsaw Carriage complies fully 

with the procedures relating to air consignment notes and air waybills set out 

respectively in the Warsaw Convention and Warsaw-Hague and that in any event any 

Cargo Contract in respect of a Warsaw Carriage shall be entered into in accordance with

and subject to the following provisions: 

1. AIR WAYBILL COMPLETION 

Upon receipt of an air waybill data message (e.g. FWB) from Freight Forwarder for a 

Cargo Contract to be flown on a Warsaw Carriage route, Freight Forwarder hereby 

authorizes Carrier to make out a conforming air waybill relating to the carriage of the

cargo described in such message (“Warsaw Cargo”) on behalf of Freight Forwarder 

pursuant to Resolution 600a, Attachment A, Section 3. Freight Forwarder agrees that 

such making out of the air waybill by the Carrier on its behalf complies with article 6(5) of

both the Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague, as applicable. 

2. EDI MESSAGE DISCREPANCIES

Upon receipt by the Carrier of Warsaw Cargo, Carrier will confirm that such cargo is 

ready for carriage through a status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) sent to Freight 

Forwarder. In the event Carrier cannot confirm that such cargo is ready for carriage or 

that the data in the status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) to the Freight Forwarder 

deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces in the air waybill data message

(e.g. FWB) from the Freight Forwarder, the Warsaw Cargo shall be treated according to 

the exception management procedures agreed between the Parties as set forth in

Section 3 of Annex A. 

3. SIGNATURES ON AIR WAYBILL 

The Carrier shall be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder authorizations, representations

and undertakings set out in Section 5 of this Annex D and on that basis may upon

acceptance of, but prior to loading of the Warsaw Cargo, stamp or print Freight 

Forwarder’s signature, or a Third Party’s signature if applicable pursuant to Section 6 of 

this Annex D, as “Shipper” on the first and second Originals 1 and 2 of the air waybill

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 24 9-May-2012 
(marked “for issuing Carrier” and “for Consignee” respectively) for and on behalf of the

Freight Forwarder (or Third Party if applicable) and countersign the Original 2 and sign 

the Original 3 of the air waybill (marked “for consignee” and “for Shipper” respectively) in 

its capacity as carrier and then shall return the Original 3 to the Freight Forwarder. 

Freight Forwarder further agrees that the stamping or printing of the signature on the air 

waybill by the Carrier on behalf of Freight Forwarder or a Third Party as set forth in this 

Section 3 of this Annex D complies fully with the requirements of article 6(4) of the 

Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague and with the giving of notice to the Freight

Forwarder of possible limits on the liability of Carrier in respect of loss of or damage to 

the Warsaw Cargo required under such Conventions. 

4. CONCLUSION OF CARGO CONTRACTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE 

Cargo Contracts for purposes of Warsaw Carriage under this Annex D shall be 

concluded upon the stamping or printing of the Shipper’s signature on the air waybill as 

set forth in Section 3 hereof, and such Cargo Contracts shall be governed by the

Conditions of Contract printed on the reverse side of such air waybill(s) as set forth in

the then current Cargo Services Conference Resolution 600b. 

5. FREIGHT FORWARDER REPRESENTATIONS 

Freight Forwarder represents to Carrier that: 

a) Freight Forwarder has the full and unequivocal authority to enter into this 

Agreement and in particular to assume and be bound by the

representations, undertakings and obligations set out in this Annex D; and 

b) Throughout the term of the Agreement Freight Forwarder shall have the

full and unequivocal authority to appoint Carrier as Freight Forwarder’s 

agent for the purpose of actions required to be undertaken by Carrier 

pursuant to this Annex D. 

c) Carrier may at all times be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder’s 

representations and undertakings herein contained and shall be under no

obligation whatsoever to make any enquiries as to whether or not any or

all of these authorizations have been revoked. 

d) in the event of a conflict between the provisions of this Annex D and the

rest of the Agreement the provisions of this Annex D shall prevail. 

6. THIRD-PARTY SHIPMENTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE 

For Warsaw Carriage involving a Third Party as Shipper, as further described in Section

4.4 of the Agreement; Freight Forwarder shall comply with the conditions set forth in 

Section 4.4, 4.5 and Section 4.6. 

Freight Forwarder shall accordingly identify the Third Party as the “Shipper” in the air 

waybill data message (e.g. FWB). 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 25 9-May-2012 
THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6 OF THIS

ANNEX D FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT BETWEEN A

THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR SHALL AUTHORIZE 

CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO

MAKE OUT CONFORMING AIR WAYBILLS AND STAMP OR PRINT SIGNATURES

ON SUCH AIR WAYBILLS ON BEHALF OF THE THIRD PARTY BY TRANSMITTING 

SUCH EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT

FORWARDER HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO 

PERMIT SUCH ISSUANCE. 

RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012-updated-5June-clean.doc Page 26 9-May-2012 
M E M O R A N D U M

CSC/MailVote/001/2012

TO: All Members of IATA 

 Cargo Services Conference (CSC) Accredited Representatives 

CC: Members, Cargo Procedures Conferences Management Group

IATA Cargo Managers

 

FROM: Secretary, Cargo Services Conference 

DATE: 14 May 2012 

SUBJECT: CSC MAIL VOTE (S072) – Recommended Practice 1670 

In 2009 and 2010 IATA and FIATA successfully worked together to develop a “model agreement for 

electronic data interchange (EDI)” as a substitute for the traditional paper air waybill which was 

adopted by the Cargo Service Conference as Recommended Practice 1670 (RP1670). 

After more than a year of trialing the Agreement by various parties in the industry, some amendments 

to RP1670 have been identified, that are anticipated to bring benefits to both airlines and the freight 

forwarders. These changes have been endorsed by the e-AWB Advisory Group, CBPP, CPCMG and 

by FIATA through the IFCC. 

The key changes are as follows: 

1. RP1670 to serve as an agreement between “freight forwarder” and airline. 

The current version of RP1670 is an agreement between shipper and airline, where the freight 

forwarder acts as shipper with respect to shipment. The proposal is to replace references to “shipper” 

with “freight forwarder” where appropriate, to avoid any confusion and provide further clarity on the 

roles. 

2. Single EDI process for freight forwarder irrespective of the route. 

The current version of the EDI Agreement is strictly for non-Warsaw routes (except Warsaw as 

amended by Montreal Protocol 4) which mean that freight forwarders have to produce, print, handle 

and archive paper air waybills for the Warsaw routes. 

The amendment to RP1670 will provide the possibility on Warsaw routes for an airline to print and 

sign the paper AWB on behalf the freight forwarder based on electronic data submitted by the freight 

forwarder for the Warsaw routes. It would bring the following benefits: 

a. The complexity of deciding if a paper air waybill shall be produced or not based on the 

route will be decided by the airline that is ultimately responsible; 

b. The freight forwarder will not have to produce, print, handle and archive the multiple 

copies of the paper AWB facilitating the adoption of e-AWB; 
CSC Mail Vote (S072) Page 2 of 2

c. The airline will increase their customer service with the information efficiencies 

associated with electronic commerce. 

3. Enable freight forwarder to conclude cargo contracts on behalf of its shipper clients. 

Based on the current agreement, if a freight forwarder sends an air waybill data message indicating its 

shipper client (e.g. IBM) as the "Shipper", the carrier has no way of knowing if IBM has: 

a. Agreed to the Carrier's Conditions of Contract; or 

b. Consented to the use of electronic messaging in lieu of a paper air waybill. 

Instead of having the freight forwarder's shipper client signing an EDI agreement directly with the 

carrier, it was proposed to include the provision to enable the freight forwarder to send EDI messages 

on behalf of its client. 

Through the new EDI agreement, the freight forwarder will be able to: 

a. represent to the carrier that it has the authority to enter into a contract for 

the shipment of cargo on behalf of its client 

b. agree to the carrier's conditions of contract on behalf of its client; and 

c. provide consent to use electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill on 

behalf of its client. 

We believe that this revised RP1670 will help airlines as well as shippers/freight forwarders to 

implement the e-AWB and get the full benefit of a paper-less environment. 

CSC Voting Procedures 

The voting period will run for 21 days from the date of this memorandum. Members are 

requested to submit the vote by sending an email to cargo@iata.org with reference “CSC Mail 

Vote S072” latest by Monday, 4 June 2012. 

The voting procedures are as follows: 

 Specimen positive vote advice: XYZ Airlines hereby votes in favor of the proposed 

amendment to Recommended Practice 1670. 

 Specimen negative vote advice: XYZ Airlines hereby votes against the proposed 

amendment to Recommended Practice 1670. 

 Abstentions: Please note that abstentions will count as positive votes.

Thank you for your participation. 

Sincerely, 

Frederic Leger 

Head of Cargo Business Process & Standards, IATA 

 Attachment
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 1 9-May-2012 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

CARRIAGE OF CARGO USING ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

CSC(MAIL S071S072)1670 Expiry: Indefinite 

 Type: B 

RECOMMENDED that: 

Members engaged in the carriage of cargo using Electronic Data Interchange to transmit 

the information of the Shipment Record shall use the procedures and standards as 

indicated in Attachment ‘A’ – MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA 

INTERCHANGE (EDI) as amended from time to time.

Members are encouraged to obtain the approval of their own Legal Department prior to 

entering into any agreement. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 2 9-May-2012 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI) 

It is agreed that the goods shipped pursuant to this Agreement are accepted in 

apparent good order and condition (except as noted) for carriage SUBJECT TO 

THE CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT. ALL GOODS MAY BE CARRIED BY ANY 

OTHER MEANS INCLUDING ROAD OR ANY OTHER CARRIER UNLESS SPECIFIC 

CONTRARY INSTRUCTIONS ARE GIVEN BY THE SHIPPER, AND SHIPPER 

AGREES THAT THE SHIPMENT MAY BE CARRIED VIA INTERMEDIATE STOPPING 

PLACES WHICH THE CARRIER DEEMS APPROPRIATE. THE SHIPPER’S 

ATTENTION IS DRAWN TO THE NOTICE CONCERNING CARRIER’S LIMITATION 

OF LIABILITY in the Conditions of Contract. Shipper may increase such limitation 

of liability by declaring a higher value for carriage and paying a supplemental 

charge if required. 

INSURANCE – If carrier offers insurance, and such insurance is requested in 

accordance with the conditions thereof, indicate amount to be insured in figures 

in field "Amount of Insurance".

MODEL AGREEMENT FOR 

ELECTRONIC DATA INTERCHANGE (EDI)

Between 

(Party A) 

of (address) 

represented by (name) 

(hereinafter referred to as “ShipperFreight Forwarder1

”) 

And 

(Party B) 

 of (address) 

 represented by (name) 

 (hereinafter referred to as “Carrier”)

Recitals 

WHEREAS the Parties hereto have, or expect to have, commercial dealings with each 

other; 

WHEREAS the Parties desire to improve the efficiency of any future commercial 

transactions by replacing the flow of paper air waybills between them with electronic 

data interchange; 

WHEREAS the Parties acknowledge understandingunderstand the technical and legal 

consequences of using electronic data interchange to conduct commercial transactions; 

and 

 

1

 “Freight Forwarder” is simply a placeholder for the contracting party, such as “Shipper”; 

“Intermediary”, “Cargo Agent” or the entity name.
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 3 9-May-2012 

WHEREAS the Parties’ intention and desire is to ensurefacilitate and conduct paperless 

electronic cargo transactions, 

NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows: 

Article 1 — Preamble 

1.1 The foregoing recitals and any footnotes, are incorporated into and shall form an 

integral part of the Agreement. 

1.2 The Parties recognize that the use of electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill 

may increase their liability exposure on traffic routes where electronic means are not 

recognized under international convention and local law.1.2 This Agreement is suitable 

for use on any traffic routes where the preservation of the Shipment Record through 

electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill is permitted under international convention 

and local law. For trade routes that are not governed by any international convention, the 

Parties should ensure that the use of electronic means in lieu of a paper air waybill is 

permissible under the local laws governing such traffic route. The Parties recognize that a 

paper air waybill may be required by Carrier to regulate liability exposure on traffic routes 

where such waybill is necessary and electronic means are not recognized under the 

applicable international convention and local law. 

Note: Text in italics refers to issues where the Parties will wish to choose between 

available options. Spaces have been left blank (....) to be filled accordingly. 

Article 2 — Definitions 

For the purpose of the Agreement, the terms listed below are defined as follows: 

2.1 “Agreement” shall mean this Agreement, together with Annex ‘A’, Annex ‘B’, Annex 

‘C’, and Annex ‘C’.D’. In addition, the provisions of Resolution 670 and Recommended 

Practice 1672 of the IATA Cargo Services Conference Resolutions Manual are 

incorporated into the Agreement by reference, as if recited at length herein. 

2.2 “EDI” or “Electronic Data Interchange” shall mean the electronic transfer, from 

computer to computer, of commercial, administrative and transport data using an agreed 

standard to structure an EDI Message, as set out in the Annex ‘A’. 

2.3 “EDI Message” shall mean a message consisting of a set of segments, structured 

using an agreed standard, prepared in a computer readable format, transmitted via EDI, 

and capable of being automatically and unambiguously processed. 

2.4 “IATA Message Standard” shall mean the message standard specified, published 

and updated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from time to time. 

2.5 “Cargo Contract” shall mean a contract between the Parties, conductedentered into

by EDI under this Agreement, for the transportation of, and settlement with respect to a 

specific cargo shipment. 

2.6 “Parties” shall mean the parties identified on Page 1. Party shall mean either of 

them. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 4 9-May-2012 

2.7 “IATA” shall mean the International Air Transport Association. 

2.8 “Cargo Receipt” or “Receipt for the Cargo” shall mean a document (in paper or 

electronic form) which is provided to the Shipper, by the Carrier in paper form unless 

otherwise agreed between the Parties, creating a Shipment Record as a 

substitutionsubstitute for the issuance of an air waybill and which permits identification of 

the shipment that has been accepted and deemed “ready for carriage”. 

The technical aspects of the Cargo Receipt shall be as described in Annex ‘A’ and in the 

form set forth in Annex ‘C’.2

2.9 “Shipment Record” shall mean any record of the Cargo Contract preserved by Carrier, 

evidenced by means other than an air waybill.. The technical aspects of the Shipment 

Record shall be as specified in Annex ‘A’. 

2.10 “Warehouse Receipt” shall mean a paper document (in paper or electronic form) 

provided to the ShipperFreight Forwarder by the Carrier acknowledging the receipt of the 

cargo shipment as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) 

the Shipper; (b) the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (bc) the date, 

time and place received by the Carrier; (cd) reference the shipment identification number 

covering the specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of 

the places of departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should 

also be specified. 

2.11 “Shipper’s Delivery Note” shall mean a paper document (in paper or electronic form) 

provided to the Carrier by the ShipperFreight Forwarder acknowledging the delivery of the 

cargo shipment as “freight on hand” for carriage by air. At a minimum, it shall specify (a) 

the Shipper; (b) the weight and number of pieces of the cargo shipment; (bc) the date, 

time and place received by the Carrier; (cd) reference the shipment identification number 

covering the specific cargo shipment. To the extent it is readily available, an indication of 

the places of departure, destination and, if applicable, agreed stopping places, should 

also be specified. 

 

2

 In the event that the Carrier is unable to provide the ShipperFreight Forwarder with the Cargo 

Receipt in paper form upon Shipper’sFreight Forwarder’s delivery of the cargo to the Carrier due 

to technical, procedural or other reasons, the Carrier must provide the ShipperFreight Forwarder

with a Warehouse Receipt (in lieu of a Warehouse Receipt, the Carrier may verify the 

information on and countersign the Shipper's Delivery Note. Once verified and countersigned by 

the Carrier such delivery note shall serve as a Warehouse Receipt). Transportation of such cargo 

shipment by the Carrier continues to be subject to Carrier's subsequent confirmation that the 

cargo shipment is “ready for carriage”. For purposes of the International Conventions (MC99 or 

MP4, as defined in Annex ‘A’), such Warehouse Receipt shall be deemed an interim “Cargo 

Receiptcargo receipt” (also known as “Receiptreceipt for the Cargocargo” under MP4) until the 

Carrier has determined that the cargo is "ready for carriage" and can produce the actual Cargo 

Receipt as per Annex ‘A’ hereof. Accordingly, the Cargo Receipt shall serve as prima facie 

evidence of the conclusion of the contract, of the acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of 

carriage mentioned therein, except that the Warehouse Receipt shall nonetheless continue to 

serve as prima facie evidence as to the weight and number of pieces delivered to Carrier at the 

date, time, and place specified on the Warehouse Receipt. The Parties shall archive the 

Warehouse Receipt pursuant to the archiving requirements set forth in Article 8 Recording and 

Storage of EDI Messages. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 5 9-May-2012 

It is understood that there will be a transition period where some Parties may depend on 

paper for handover purposes3

. Parties may use the paper form of their choosing for the 

Warehouse Receipt (or Shipper’s Delivery Note if used as a Warehouse Receipt). 

However it is envisioned that Parties shall endeavor to establish electronic means for the 

Cargo Receipt and for the Warehouse Receipt. 

2.12 “Shipper” (which is equivalent to the term “Consignor”) shall mean the person 

whose name appears on the Air Waybill or Shipment Record, as the party contracting 

with Carrier for the Carriage of Cargo.

Article 3 — Object and Scope 

 

3.1 It is the expectation of the ShipperFreight Forwarder and the Carrier that they shall 

be doing business together in the future. The objective of the Agreement is to permit the 

Parties to conclude legally binding Cargo Contracts by electronic means and to ensure 

they are legally bound by such contracts. However, nothing in the Agreement 

createsshall create any obligation for either Party to transact with the other, nor any 

obligation of exclusivity to deal only with the other. , nor shall Carrier be obligated to 

contract pursuant to this Agreement for contracts to be concluded in respect of “Warsaw 

Carriage” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement.

3.2 In the absence of an express written agreement to the contrary, the provisions of the 

Agreement shall only apply to future Cargo Contracts, and not to any other commercial 

relations between the Parties. All shipments covered as a Cargo Contract under this 

Agreement shall be clearly identified as an EDI Message shipment by the ShipperFreight 

Forwarder through the corresponding EDI message. Cargo Contracts concluded in 

respect of “Warsaw Carriage,” as defined in Annex D to this Agreement, shall be 

concluded in accordance with the terms set out in that Annex. 

3.3 Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the The Conditions of Contract detailed in Annex 

‘B’ shall apply to all Cargo Contracts under this Agreement. , except (i) as otherwise 

agreed in writing; or (ii) for Cargo Contracts concluded under Annex D.

Article 4 — Validity and Formation of Contract 

4.1 The Parties acknowledge and agree that EDI is a proper means for concluding 

Cargo Contracts and agree not to contest the validity or terms of Cargo Contracts on the 

basis that they were concluded by EDI, that the original records are in electronic form, or 

that no signature(s) evidence such Cargo Contracts. 

 

3

 The Party providing the Warehouse Receipt shall determine its form so long as it complies with 

the requirements of Sections 2.10 or 2.11. In the event that a Party uses the form of an air waybill 

as a Warehouse Receipt, any mention or reference to conditions of contract therein shall be 

disregarded and considered null and void. When using the form of an air waybill the form should 

include a clear indication on its face that it is a “Warehouse Receipt” only and not an air waybill to 

avoid confusion. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 6 9-May-2012 

4.1.1 Without prejudice to the provisions of clause 3.2, this clause 4.1 and the overriding 

objective of the Agreement to ensure paperless electronic cargo transactions, a Cargo 

Receipt will be made available. 

4.2 Each Party shall ensure that the content of an EDI Message sent or received 

complies with the law of its own the country where the shipment is tendered to the 

Carrier, and shall take reasonable measures to inform the other Party of any 

inconsistency without delay. 

4.3 A Cargo Contract shall be concluded once the Carrier has accepted the cargo and 

can provide a Cargo Receipt (or a Warehouse Receipt in the event that a Cargo Receipt 

cannot be provided at the time of delivery of the cargo shipment as per Footnote 1). 

Transportation of the cargo shipment, however, shall continue to be subject to (i) the 

Carrier confirming to the ShipperFreight Forwarder that the shipment is “ready for 

carriage” and (ii) ShipperFreight Forwarder complying with all other applicable rules and 

regulations. 

In the event that the EDI Message from the Carrier confirming that the shipment is 

“ready for carriage” deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces from the 

EDI Message sent by the ShipperFreight Forwarder initiating the Shipment Record, the 

cargo shipment shall be treated according to the exception management procedures 

agreed between the Parties. The particulars shall be incorporated into section 3 of the 

Annex ‘A’. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 7 9-May-2012 

4.4 In the event that Freight Forwarder wishes to enter into a Cargo Contract on behalf 

of a third party (the “Third Party”), the Freight Forwarder warrants and represents that, 

prior to entering into such Cargo Contracts, it has obtained the authorization from the 

Third Party to act as its agent for purposes of concluding Cargo Contracts, including but 

not limited to identifying the Third Party as the “Shipper” on the EDI Message initiating 

the Cargo Contract. Freight Forwarder shall ensure that such EDI Messages are 

properly identified such that Carrier can recognize that the Freight Forwarder is sending 

and receiving EDI Messages on behalf of the Third Party for purposes of concluding a 

Cargo Contract between the Third Party and Carrier. 

4.5 THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES BY FREIGHT FORWARDER AS SET 

FORTH IN SECTION 4.4 FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT 

BETWEEN A THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR (“THIRD 

PARTY SHIPMENTS”) SHALL AUTHORIZE CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED 

BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO ISSUE A CARGO RECEIPT IN THE NAME 

OF THE THIRD PARTY, A COPY OF WHICH SHALL BE DELIVERED TO THE 

FREIGHT FORWARDER AS THIRD PARTY'S AGENT. BY TRANSMITTING SUCH 

EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT FORWARDER 

HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO PERMIT SUCH 

ISSUANCE.

4.6 The Freight Forwarder shall indemnify the Carrier against all damage suffered by it, 

or by any other person to whom Carrier is liable, by reason of the Freight Forwarder's 

breach of the warranties and representations set out in above Article 4.4 and for any 

irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of the particulars and statements set forth 

in the EDI Messages furnished by the Freight Forwarder or on the Third Party’s behalf. 

The representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.4 and this indemnity obligation 

shall survive termination of this Agreement.

Article 5 — Admissibility in Evidence of EDI Messages 

The Parties agree that in the event of any dispute, the records of EDI Messages, 

maintained in accordance with the Agreement, shall be admissible as evidence before 

the Courts, any arbitrator(s), other tribunals, or any other means of dispute resolution. 

However such evidence may be challenged by any other means of evidence (e.g., any 

documents, witnesses, etc.). 

Article 6 — Processing and Acknowledgement of Receipt of EDI Messages 

6.1 EDI Messages shall be processed as soon as possible after receipt, but in any 

event, within the time limits specified in Annex ‘A’. 

6.2 An acknowledgment of receipt of any EDI Message is not required unless stipulated 

in Annex ‘A’ or to be a condition of any particular Cargo Contract. 

An acknowledgment of receipt may be requested, by specific provision in Annex ‘A’ or 

by express request of the sender of an EDI Message. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 8 9-May-2012 

6.3 Where an acknowledgment is required, a time limit shall be specified for receipt of 

the acknowledgment. The receiver of an EDI Message, which specifies a requirement 

for an acknowledgment, shall not act upon it until such acknowledgment is sent. 

6.4 If the sender does not receive the acknowledgment within the time limit specified in 

Annex ‘A’, he may, upon notification to the recipient of the EDI Message, treat the 

Shipment Record initiation as rejected from the expiration of that time limit and the 

shipment shall be handled as agreed between the Parties (in the absence of agreed 

procedures the Carrier policy will be applicable). 

Article 7 - Confidentiality and Protection of Data 

7.1 The Parties shall ensure that EDI Messages shall be maintained in confidence and 

not disclosed or transmitted to other persons except: (i) in fulfillment of the Cargo 

Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise previously agreed to in writing by the Parties; 

or (iii) unless compelled to do so by operation of law or by order of a competent court or 

tribunal, government authorities or agencies at the origin, destination or transit country to 

disclose the confidential information in connection with the relevant Cargo Contract. 

7.2 In the case where in the relevant Cargo Contract the Freight Forwarder appears as 

the “Shipper is a consolidating forwarder, not an agent of the Carrier”, the information 

contained in the forwarder'sFreight Forwarder's 'House Waybill’ (if any), including but not 

limited to, the name and address of the shipper and/or consignee shall be maintained in 

confidence and not disclosed or transmitted to other persons except: (i) in fulfillment of 

the Cargo Contract or this Agreement; (ii) if otherwise previously agreed to in writing by 

the Parties; or (iii) unless compelled to do so by operation of law or by order of a 

competent court or tribunal, government authorities or agencies at the origin, destination 

or transit country to disclose the confidential information in connection with the relevant 

Cargo Contract. 

7.3 The Parties shall comply with all applicable legislation concerning data protection. 

Article 8— Recording and Storage of EDI Messages 

8.1 The EDI Messages which comprise the Shipment Record, as set forth in Annex ‘A’, 

shall be issued by the Carrier and shall be stored by each Party or their agents, 

unaltered and secured, for a minimum of three years. Parties recognize that their 

national laws may require archiving of EDI messages for a period of time in excess of 

the time limit set forth herein for accounting, taxation, or other purposes outside the 

scope of this Agreement. 

Note: Parties may want to consider the two years limitation period in the international 

conventions and applicable fiscal laws — as well as the distinction between operational 

and accounting requirements.

8.2 Unless otherwise provided by national laws, EDI Messages shall be stored by the 

sender (or their agent/s) in the transmitted format and by the receiver (or their agent/s) 

in the format in which they are received. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 9 9-May-2012 

8.3 The Parties shall ensure that electronic or computer records of the EDI Messages 

shall be readily retrievable, are capable of being reproduced in a human readable form 

and of being printed, if required. 

Article 9 — Operational Requirements for EDI 

9.1 Operational Equipment 

Each Party shall provide and maintain, at its own cost, all necessary equipment to fulfill 

its obligations under the Agreement including hardware, software and services 

necessary to transmit, receive, translate, record, print and store EDI Messages. 

9.2 Means of Communication 

The Parties have detailed in Annex ‘A’ the means of communication to be used, 

including the telecommunication protocols, and if required, the choice of third party 

service provider(s). 

9.3 EDI Message Standards 

All EDI Messages shall be transmitted in accordance with the IATA Message 

Standards, recommendations and procedures as approved and updated by the Cargo 

Services Conference from time to time. 

Article 10 — Technical Specifications and Requirements 

10.1 The Parties may agree to test the computer system of the other, to assure that it 

meets the integrity and security standards detailed at Article 11 below. 

10.2 The Parties may agree to submit to a third party technical audit within 14 days of 

executing this Agreement and to have further periodic audits of their computer systems, 

at a mutually convenient time and subject to reasonable notice. For the avoidance of 

doubt, each party shall bear its own audit costs. (Numerous scenarios are possible, e.g. 

third party technical audit, audits before signing, audits after signing, right to periodic 

audits, and it is not practical to draft text for each). 

10.3 The Parties agree to accept as prima facie evidence of the integrity and security of 

the other Party’s systems any certification by a recognized independent certification 

agency. 

Note: Any EDI interchange agreement is predicated upon each Party being certain the 

system of the other meets generally acceptable standards of integrity (unintentional 

alteration, modification or destruction after transmission) and security (to prevent 

intentional alteration, modification or destruction of messages). 

Given the fundamental importance of being certain that messages cannot be altered, it is 

expected that the Parties will want to draft unique and specific integrity and security 

clauses, or incorporate them in the Annex ‘A’. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 10 9-May-2012 

Article 11 — Security of EDI Messages 

11.1 Each Party shall implement and maintain security procedures in accordance with 

the generally accepted best practices, in order to ensure the authenticity of EDI 

Messages, and the protection of EDI Messages against the risk of unauthorized access, 

alteration, delay, destruction or loss. 

(Security procedures to verify the origin, and the verification of integrity, in order to 

identify the sender of an EDI Message and to ascertain that any EDI Message received 

is complete and has not been corrupted, are essential. Such security procedures and 

measures may be expressly specified in the Annex ‘A’.) 

11.2 Each Party shall immediately inform the other if it becomes aware of any breach in 

its own security procedures, and take all necessary steps to remedy the problem. 

11.3 A Party informed of or who otherwise becomes aware of a breach in its security, 

shall immediately give written notice of that to the other Party, who in turn, can 

immediately suspend the application of this Agreement and cease to act on EDI from 

that Party until the breach has been resolved to its reasonable satisfaction. 

Article 12 — Authentication 

12.1 The Parties shall establish a mutually satisfactory procedure for confirming the 

authenticity of each other’s EDI Messages. 

12.2 As between themselves, and without prejudice to any recourse against a third 

party, the Parties agree that the sender of an EDI Message shall be responsible for the 

integrity of it, and responsible for any unauthorized use of or access to its authentication 

codes/procedures prior to receipt of the message on the recipient’s computer, unless 

such error, unauthorized use or access results from the acts or omissions of the 

recipient. The recipient shall be responsible for the integrity of the EDI Message, any 

unauthorized use of or access to the recipient’s authentication codes/procedures, after 

reception of the message on its computer unless such unauthorized use or access 

results from the acts or omissions of the sender. 

Article 13 — Non-compliance 

In the event that the EDI communication system of a Party does not comply with the 

integrity and security standards as required by the Agreement, and there is a 

disagreement with respect to an EDI Message, the version of the Party whose system 

does comply will be deemed to be correct. 

Article 14 — Liability 

14.1 The Parties shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by the other Party 

caused by any delay or failure to perform in accordance with the provision of the 

Agreement, where such delay or failure is caused by an impediment beyond that Party’s 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 11 9-May-2012 

control and which could not reasonably be expected to be taken into account at the time 

of conclusion of the Agreement or the consequences of which could not be avoided or 

overcome. 

14.2 If a Party engages any intermediary (service provider) to perform such services as 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, that Party shall be 

liable for the intermediary’s acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.3 If a Party requires another Party to use the services of an intermediary to perform 

the transmission, logging, storage or processing of an EDI Message, the Party who 

requires such use shall be liable to the other Party for damage from that intermediary’s 

acts or omissions in the provision of said services. 

14.4 Except where this Agreement states differently, each Party’s liability shall be 

limited to proven compensatory damages, and in any event, no Party to the Agreement 

shall be liable for (i) any loss of profits, revenue, contracts, sales, anticipated savings, 

goodwill, and reputation; and (ii) special, indirect or consequential losses; or (iii) any 

form of non-compensatory damages caused by a failure to perform its obligations under 

the Agreement. 

Article 15 — Dispute Resolution 

15.1 Alternative 1 — Arbitration Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement, including any question 

regarding its existence, validity or termination, shall be settled by the following dispute 

resolution process: 

15.1.1 Within 14 days of a dispute arising, the Parties’ representatives shall meet and 

seek to negotiate a resolution; If the Parties are unable to resolve the matter within 45 

days from the dispute arising, the matter shall be referred to mediation to take place 

within 60 days thereafter. 

15.1.2 If the mediation is not able to resolve the dispute, the matter shall be referred to 

and finally resolved by arbitration subject to the International Chamber of Commerce 

(ICC) Rules of Arbitration, before a single arbitrator to be agreed by the Parties, or 

failing agreement, by a panel of three arbitrators to be nominated in accordance with 

International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Rules of Arbitration. 

15.1.3 Arbitration shall be conducted in English and the seat of the Arbitration shall be 

in (...[insert city and country]...). The decision of the Arbitrator(s) shall be final and 

binding.

15.2 Alternative 2 — Jurisdiction Clause 

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this contract shall be referred to the 

courts of (...[insert country]...) which shall have sole jurisdiction. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 12 9-May-2012 

Article 16 — Applicable Law 

Without prejudice to any mandatory national law, which may apply to the Parties 

regarding recording and storage of EDI Messages or confidentiality and protection of 

personal data, the Agreement is governed by the laws of (...[insert country]...). 

Shipper certifies that insofar as any part of a consignment contains dangerous goods, all 

measures prescribed by the Dangerous Goods Regulations have been respected. 

Article 17 — General 

17.1 Effect 

The Agreement shall be effective from the date on which it is signed by both Parties, or 

if signed on a different date, the date signed by the latter of the two. 

17.2 Modifications 

The Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the Parties on the subject 

matter. Any modifications, subsequent agreements or collateral agreements dealing 

directly or indirectly with the subject matter contained in the Agreement shall only be 

valid if set out in writing and signed by both Parties. This Agreement shall not be 

assigned by a Party, unless prior written consent is obtained from the other Party, such 

consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. 

17.3 Notices 

Any Notice to the other Party shall be in writing and shall be sent by certified mail, return 

receipt requested or by express courier with proof of delivery to the individuals and 

addresses indicated below: 

 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 13 9-May-2012 

For the Shipper Freight Forwarder For the Carrier 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

_________________ _________________ 

Either Party may change its address by notice to the other Party. 

17.4 Termination 

Either Party may terminate the Agreement by giving not less than (.........) days prior 

written Notice. 

 

Notwithstanding termination for any reason, the rights and obligations of the Parties 

referred to in Articles 4, 5, 7, 8 and 14 shall survive termination together with any other 

provision which by its nature survives termination. 

Note: The Parties may want to specify a right of immediate termination in the event of 

bankruptcy, insolvency or similar events, and/or a right to terminate with or without 

prior notice if the other Party fails to fulfill its obligation under the present Agreement. 

17.5 Severability 

If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, 

unenforceable or in conflict with the law of any jurisdiction, that shall not affect: 

1. The validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other provision of this 

Agreement; or 

2. The validity or enforceability in other jurisdictions of that or any other provision 

of this Agreement. 

In such cases, this Agreement shall be construed as if such invalid, illegal or 

unenforceable provisions had never been contained herein, unless the deletion of such 

provision or provisions would result in such a material change so as to cause 

completion of the transactions contemplated herein to be unreasonable. Parties shall 

then negotiate in good faith an appropriate substitute for the provisions deemed invalid. 

17.6 Interpretation 

Words importing the singular shall include the plural and vice versa. 

The headings of articles are for convenience only and shall not be used to interpret 

provisions of the Agreement or otherwise affect the substantial provisions. 

In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions of this Agreement and any 

provisions incorporated by reference, as detailed in Article 2.1, the provisions of this 

Agreement shall prevail. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 14 9-May-2012 

17.7 No Waiver of Rights 

The failure by either Party at any time to require performance by the other of any of its 

obligations, shall not affect the right to require such performance at any time thereafter. 

A waiver by either Party of a breach or specific delay shall not be taken or held to be a 

waiver of any subsequent breach or delay. 

WHEREFORE the Parties have signed: 

................................................... .............................................

 

 Shipper Freight Forwarder 

 Carrier 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 15 9-May-2012 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘A’ 

TECHNICAL ANNEX TO MODEL EDI AGREEMENT

1) CONVENTIONS 

In the event that the Carrier party to the EDI Agreement must make an unscheduled 

stopover at a country that is not signatory of the Convention for the Unification of Certain 

Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 as 

amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4), or have ratified the Convention for the 

Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at Montreal on 28 

May 1999 (MC99), the Parties shall ensure that they can produce and deliver the Cargo 

Receipt requested by any third party, government authority requesting such 

documentation. 

2) EDI MESSAGES 

All EDI Messages shall be structured and used in accordance with the IATA Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual or the Cargo-FACT Message 

Manual or the Cargo-XML Message Manual. This Technical Annex addresses the CargoIMP environment. 

In the event that the Parties wish to exchange particular version numbers of the CargoIMP messages then only FWB version number (....), FSU version number (....) and FNA 

version number (....) will be supported. In case Parties decide to use the Cargo-IMP 

FMA message then only FMA version number (....) will be supported. 

3) SHIPMENT RECORD 

To initiate the Shipment Record information the ShipperFreight Forwarder will send the 

completed air waybill data through an electronic message (FWB) as per Cargo 

Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the Carrier prior to the 

presentation of the consignment at the Carrier point of acceptance. 

The Cargo Contract shall be subject to the FSU/RCS message being sent to the 

Shipper.Freight Forwarder. In the event that the weight, volume and/or total number of 

pieces of the FSU/RCS Message deviates from the weight, volume and/or total number 

of pieces of the FWB information the cargo shipment shall be treated according to the 

exception management procedures previously agreed between the Parties. 

In case the Carrier cannot access the Shipment Record initiated in his system, at freight 

presentation, a fallback (or recovery) procedure should be agreed and in place between 

the Carrier and ShipperFreight Forwarder. 

4) REJECTION MESSAGE 

The notification to the Shipper that the EDI message containing the air waybill data 

(FWB) has been rejected by the Carrier’s system and/or by his third party service 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 16 9-May-2012 

provider due to syntax errors shall be performed using the standard electronic Error 

(FNA) message as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual. 

The FNA message should include the Message Improvement Program (MIP) error code 

and reasons as per the latest version of the MIP strategy document. 

5) CONFIRMATION MESSAGE 

The confirmation to the ShipperFreight Forwarder that the EDI message containing the 

air waybill data (FWB) has been received by the Carrier’s system and/or his third party 

service provider without syntax errors and application errors shall be performed using 

the standard electronic Acknowledgment (FMA) message as per the Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual.4

A confirmation message is not required unless otherwise previously agreed by the 

Parties in writing. 

In the event that the ShipperFreight Forwarder requires a confirmation (acknowledgment) 

message from the Carrier upon receipt of a FWB Message, the Carrier shall send the 

acknowledgment as soon as possible, however, in no case later than (....) minutes after 

receipt of the FWB. In the event that the Carrier fails to send an acknowledgment within 

the time period stated, the Shipment Record initiation shall be considered rejected and 

the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the Parties (or according to 

the Carrier policy if applicable). 

In the event that the Carrier requires the FWB message from the ShipperFreight 

Forwarder prior to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of acceptance and the 

ShipperFreight Forwarder fails to send the FWB prior to presentation, there shall be no 

Shipment Record and the shipment shall be handled as previously agreed between the 

Parties (or according to the Carrier policy if applicable). 

6) CARGO RECEIPT 

The Cargo Receipt will evidence the conclusion of the contract (“including acceptance of 

all contract terms”) and evidence the acceptance of the cargo as “ready for carriage” (as 

indicated in the IATA Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 8335

). 

The Carrier will send the standard electronic Status Update (FSU) message with the 

standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) as per Cargo Interchange 

Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) Manual to the ShipperFreight Forwarder. 

The Carrier will send to the Freight Forwarder the electronic Status Update (FSU) 

message with the standard Status Code ready for carriage Shipment (RCS) including 

the actual event time, as per Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP) as 

soon as possible after the presentation of the freight by the ShipperFreight Forwarder to 

 

4

 Note: Alternatively the Cargo 2000 route map milestone (MUP-FWB) message could be used. In such a 

case both Parties need to be Cargo 2000 members and need to have agreed this previously.

5

Cargo Agency Conference Resolution 833 Ready for Carriage Consignments
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 17 9-May-2012 

the Carrier’s point of acceptance and no later than ___ (if left blank, no time limit shall 

apply) minutes after the determination by the Carrier that the freight is indeed “ready for 

carriage”.

The Cargo Receipt will confirm the FWB message information and FSU/RCS message 

information. The date of the Cargo Receipt shall be the date that the Carrier transmits 

the FSU/RCS message. 

The Cargo Receipt document shall be produced either as a paper or electronic version 

as agreed between the Parties in the layout of the Cargo Receipt as described in the 

Annex ‘C’ of this Agreement. 

 

Carrier will only send a FSU/RCS message if a FWB message is received from the 

Shipper at least (....) minutes prior to presentation of the freight at the Carrier’s point of 

acceptance. The Parties shall agree on the process to be followed in case the FWB 

message is not received in the agreed period of time. 

7) ACCESS TO THE SHIPMENT RECORD BY THE CONSIGNEE 

The Consignee may need to have access to the Cargo Receipt containing weight, 

volume and number of pieces.

The Carrier, upon request by the ShipperFreight Forwarder, may provide a copy of the 

Cargo Receipt to the Consignee. 

8) CHARGES CORRECTION ADVICE (CCA)

In the case of discrepancies that affect charges between the data contained in the FWB 

message as transmitted by the ShipperFreight Forwarder and the data contained in the 

FSU/RCS message as transmitted by the Carrier, the Carrier shall send a Cargo 

Correction Advice to the ShipperFreight Forwarder unless otherwise agreed by the 

Parties. 

9) BAR CODE LABELS 

For cargo acceptance, shipments must be labeled with machine-readable cargo labels 

that are in accordance with the specifications of IATA Cargo Services Conference 

Resolution 6066

, Bar Coded Label.

 

6

 Cargo Services Conference Resolution 606 Bar Coded Label 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 18 9-May-2012 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘B’

Notice: the provisions of Resolution 600i, including the Conditions of Contract set 

forth therein, are incorporated into this Agreement by this reference. The current 

Conditions of Contract as set forth in Resolution 600i are re-printed in this Annex 

B for the convenience of the parties. The parties agree to be bound by the current 

version of the Resolution 600i Conditions of Contract as amended from time to 

time by the Cargo Services Conference and re-printed in the Cargo Services 

Conference Resolutions Manual website without further amendment to this 

Agreement. 

[INSERT CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT FOR CONTRACTS CONCLUDED BY 

ELECTRONIC MEANS 

AS SET FORTH IN THE CURRENT VERSION OF CARGO SERVICES CONFERENCE 

RESOLUTION 600i]

NOTICE CONCERNING CARRIER’S LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

If the carriage involves an ultimate destination or stop in a country other than the country 

of departure, the Montreal Convention or the Warsaw Convention may be applicable to 

the liability of the Carrier in respect of loss of, damage or delay to cargo. Carrier's 

limitation of liability in accordance with those Conventions shall be as set forth in 

subparagraph 4 unless a higher value is declared.

This contract is subject to the following: 

 

CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

1. In this contract and the Notices appearing herewith:

CARRIER includes the air carrier issuing the Cargo Receipt and all carriers that carry or 

undertake to carry the cargo or perform any other services related to such carriage.

SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHT (SDR) is a Special Drawing Right as defined by the 

International Monetary Fund.

WARSAW CONVENTION means whichever of the following instruments is applicable to 

the contract of carriage:

the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by 

Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929; that Convention as amended at The Hague on 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 19 9-May-2012 

28 September 1955; that Convention as amended at The Hague 1955 and by Montreal 

Protocol No. 1, 2, or 4 (1975) as the case may be.

MONTREAL CONVENTION means the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules 

for International Carriage by Air, done at Montreal on 28 May 1999.

2./2.1 Carriage is subject to the rules relating to liability established by the Warsaw 

Convention or the Montreal Convention unless such carriage is not “international 

carriage” as defined by the applicable Conventions.

2.2 To the extent not in conflict with the foregoing, carriage and other related services 

performed by each Carrier are subject to:

2.2.1 applicable laws and government regulations; 

2.2.2 provisions contained in the Carrier’s conditions of carriage and related rules, 

regulations, and timetables (but not the times of departure and arrival stated therein) 

and applicable tariffs of such Carrier, which are made part hereof, and which may be 

inspected at any airports or other cargo sales offices from which it operates regular 

services. When carriage is to/from the USA, the shipper and the consignee are entitled, 

upon request, to receive a free copy of the Carrier’s conditions of carriage. The Carrier’s 

conditions of carriage include, but are not limited to:

2.2.2.1 limits on the Carrier’s liability for loss, damage or delay of goods, including 

fragile or perishable goods;

2.2.2.2 claims restrictions, including time periods within which shippers or 

consignees must file a claim or bring an action against the Carrier for its acts 

or omissions, or those of its agents;

2.2.2.3 rights, if any, of the Carrier to change the terms of the contract;

2.2.2.4 rules about Carrier’s right to refuse to carry;

2.2.2.5 rights of the Carrier and limitations concerning delay or failure to perform 

service, including schedule changes, substitution of alternate Carrier or 

aircraft and rerouting.

3. The agreed stopping places (which may be altered by Carrier in case of necessity) are 

those places, except the place of departure and place of destination, set forth in the 

Shipment Record or shown in Carrier’s timetables as scheduled stopping places for the 

route. Carriage to be performed hereunder by several successive Carriers is regarded 

as a single operation.

4. For carriage to which the Montreal Convention does not apply, Carrier’s liability 

limitation for cargo lost, damaged or delayed shall be 19 SDRs per kilogram unless 

a greater per kilogram monetary limit is provided in any applicable Convention or in 

Carrier’s tariffs or general conditions of carriage.

5./5.1 Except when the Carrier has extended credit to the consignee without the 

written consent of the shipper, the shipper guarantees payment of all charges for the 
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carriage due in accordance with Carrier’s tariff, conditions of carriage and related 

regulations, applicable laws (including national laws implementing the Warsaw 

Convention and the Montreal Convention), government regulations, orders and 

requirements.

 5.2 When no part of the consignment is delivered, a claim with respect to such 

consignment will be considered even though transportation charges thereon are unpaid.

6./6.1 For cargo accepted for carriage, the Warsaw Convention and the Montreal 

Convention permit shipper to increase the limitation of liability by declaring a higher 

value for carriage and paying a supplemental charge if required.

6.2 In carriage to which neither the Warsaw Convention nor the Montreal Convention 

applies Carrier shall, in accordance with the procedures set forth in its general conditions 

of carriage and applicable tariffs, permit shipper to increase the limitation of liability by 

declaring a higher value for carriage and paying a supplemental charge if so required.

7./7.1 In cases of loss of, damage or delay to part of the cargo, the weight to be taken 

into account in determining Carrier’s limit of liability shall be only the weight of the 

package or packages concerned.

7.2 Notwithstanding any other provisions, for “foreign air transportation” as defined 

by the U.S. Transportation Code:

7.2.1 in the case of loss of, damage or delay to a shipment, the weight to be used in 

determining Carrier’s limit of liability shall be the weight which is used to determine 

the charge for carriage of such shipment; and

7.2.2 in the case of loss of, damage or delay to a part of a shipment, the shipment 

weight in 7.2.1 shall be prorated to the packages covered by the same Cargo 

Receipt whose value is affected by the loss, damage or delay. The weight 

applicable in the case of loss or damage to one or more articles in a package 

shall be the weight of the entire package.

8. Any exclusion or limitation of liability applicable to Carrier shall apply to Carrier’s 

agents, employees, and representatives and to any person whose aircraft or equipment 

is used by Carrier for carriage and such person’s agents, employees and 

representatives.

9. Carrier undertakes to complete the carriage with reasonable dispatch. Where 

permitted by applicable laws, tariffs and government regulations, Carrier may use 

alternative carriers, aircraft or modes of transport without notice but with due regard to 

the interests of the shipper. Carrier is authorized by the shipper to select the routing and 

all intermediate stopping places that it deems appropriate or to change or deviate from 

the routing shown in the Shipment Record.

10. Receipt by the person entitled to delivery of the cargo without complaint shall be 

prima facie evidence that the cargo has been delivered in good condition and in 

accordance with the contract of carriage.
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10.1 In the case of loss of, damage or delay to cargo a written complaint must be 

made to Carrier by the person entitled to delivery. Such complaint must be made:

10.1.1 in the case of damage to the cargo, immediately after discovery of the damage 

and at the latest within 14 days from the date of receipt of the cargo;

10.1.2 in the case of delay, within 21 days from the date on which the cargo was placed 

at the disposal of the person entitled to delivery.

10.1.3 in the case of non-delivery of the cargo, within 120 days from the date of receipt 

of the cargo for transportation by the Carrier.

10.2 Such complaint may be made to the Carrier who issued the Cargo Receipt, or to 

the first Carrier or to the last Carrier or to the Carrier, which performed the carriage 

during which the loss, damage or delay took place.

10.3 Unless a written complaint is made within the time limits specified in 10.1 no 

action may be brought against Carrier.

10.4 Any rights to damages against Carrier shall be extinguished unless an action is 

brought within two years from the date of arrival at the destination, or from the date on 

which the aircraft ought to have arrived, or from the date on which the carriage stopped.

11. Shipper shall comply with all applicable laws and government regulations of any 

country to or from which the cargo may be carried, including those relating to the 

packing, carriage or delivery of the cargo, and shall furnish such information to the 

Carrier as may be necessary to comply with such laws and regulations. Carrier is not 

liable to shipper and shipper shall indemnify Carrier for loss or expense due to shipper’s 

failure to comply with this provision.

12. No agent, employee or representative of Carrier has authority to alter, modify or 

waive any provisions of this contract.
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 22 9-May-2012 

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670 

Attachment ‘A’ 

Annex ‘C’

THE RECEIPT FOR THE CARGO (ALSO KNOWN AS THE CARGO RECEIPT) - 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND COMPLETION 

Measurements of the Cargo Receipt

The outside measurements of the Cargo Receipt shall be maintained exactly as shown 

in Appendix ‘A’. 

Description of the Cargo Receipt 

The Cargo Receipt shall have the same layout, wording and shading as specified in 

Appendix ‘B’; 

Completion of the Cargo Receipt 

The circled numbers in the following text correspond with the numbers in the boxes of 

the specimen illustrated in Appendix ‘C’.

1. Shipment Identification 

The shipment identification number shall be entered and will be composed of the 

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.1.1 (DE 112) / 2.1.3 (DE 113) / 17.2.2 (DE 202) / 17.2.3 (DE 201) / 17.2.4 

(DE 200) 

A hyphen shall be inserted between DE 112 and DE 113 and also between DE 113 and 

DE 202.

2. Shipper Name 

The shipper’s name shall be entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP 

data: 

FWB Ref. 5.4.2 (DE 300) 

3. Issued By 

The name of the carrier issuing the cargo receipt should be entered and would be 

aligned with DE 112 of the shipment identification. A company logo may also be 

entered. 

1 

2 

3 
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4. Day/Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) 

The Day/Month/Time (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed 

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.1 (DE 202) / 3.3.2(DE 201) / 3.3.3(DE 203), if DE 203 is present.

A space shall be inserted between DE 202 and DE 201 and also between DE 201 and 

DE 203.

The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the Day/Month/Time (of Shipment 

Acceptance) box but can be deduced from the date of the Shipment Identification box. 

5. Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) 

The Airport/City Code (of Shipment Acceptance) shall be entered and will be composed 

of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 3.3.5 (DE 313) 

6. Total Number of Pieces 

The Total Number of Pieces determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.3 or 2.4.2 (DE 701) 

7. Weight / Code 

7.1 Weight 

The amount of the weight determined at acceptance shall be entered and will be 

composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.5 (DE 600) 

7.2 Code 

The measurement unit code for the weight amount determined at acceptance shall be 

entered and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

FSU Ref. 2.3.4 (DE 601) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 600 and DE 601.

8. Volume 

The volume amount and its measurement unit code determined at acceptance may be 

entered if available and will be composed of the following Cargo-IMP data: 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 24 9-May-2012 

FSU Ref. 3.8.2 (DE 500) / 3.8.1 (DE 604) 

A space shall be inserted between DE 500 and DE 604 

9. Airport/City Code (of Origin) 

The Airport/City Code (of Origin) shall be entered and will be composed of the following 

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.1 (DE 313)

10. Airport/City Code (of Destination) 

The Airport/City Code (of Destination) shall be entered and will be composed of the 

following Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 2.2.2 (DE 313)

11. Airport/City Code (of Routing) 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) can be entered and will be composed of the following 

Cargo-IMP data: 

FWB Ref. 4.2.2 and 4.3.2 (DE 313)

A slant shall be inserted between DE 313 and any repeats of DE 313. 

The Airport/City Code (of Routing) must be entered if: 

The places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party 

and one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then 

an indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated.

10 

11 

12 
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Appendix ‘A’ 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 26 9-May-2012 

Appendix ‘B’ 

Notes: 

1. The boxes with bold titles indicate information specified by the Convention for 

the Unification of Certain Rules for International Carriage by Air, done at 

Montreal on 28 May 1999 (MC99) and The Convention for the Unification of 

Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 

October 1929 as amended by Montreal Protocol No. 4 (MP4). Routing would only 

be included if applicable as specified in the Articles; 

 

2. Airport/City Code (of Routing): As per MC99 and MP4, if the places of 

departure and destination are within the territory of a single State Party and one 

or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State then an 

indication of at least one such stopping place must be indicated; 

3. The year of shipment acceptance is not included in the “Day/Month/Time (of 

Shipment Acceptance)” box but can be deduced from the date of the “Shipment 

Identification” box. 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 27 9-May-2012 

Appendix ‘C’ 
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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE 1670

Attachment ‘A’

Annex ‘D’

 

TERMS FOR INITIATING AND CONCLUDING CARGO CONTRACTS IN RESPECT 

OF WARSAW CARRIAGE

 

Where the Parties are contracting in relation to an international carriage of cargo within 

the meaning of either the Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to 

International Carriage by Air, signed at Warsaw, 12 October 1929 (the “Warsaw 

Convention”) and/or the Warsaw Convention, as amended at the Hague, 1955 

(“Warsaw-Hague”), but falling outside the meaning ascribed to such carriage within 

either or both of the Conventions (as defined in Section 1 of Annex A of the Agreement) 

(each such carriage referred herein as a “Warsaw Carriage”), the Parties hereby agree 

to take the following steps in order to ensure that each Warsaw Carriage complies fully 

with the procedures relating to air consignment notes and air waybills set out 

respectively in the Warsaw Convention and Warsaw-Hague and that in any event any 

Cargo Contract in respect of a Warsaw Carriage shall be entered into in accordance with 

and subject to the following provisions: 

1. AIR WAYBILL COMPLETION

Upon receipt of an air waybill data message (e.g. FWB) from Freight Forwarder for a 

Cargo Contract to be flown on a Warsaw Carriage route, Freight Forwarder hereby 

authorizes Carrier to make out a conforming air waybill relating to the carriage of the 

cargo described in such message (“Warsaw Cargo”) on behalf of Freight Forwarder

pursuant to Resolution 600a, Attachment A, Section 3. Freight Forwarder agrees that 

such making out of the air waybill by the Carrier on its behalf complies with article 6(5) of 

both the Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague, as applicable. 

2. EDI MESSAGE DISCREPANCIES

Upon receipt by the Carrier of Warsaw Cargo, Carrier will confirm that such cargo is 

ready for carriage through a status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) sent to Freight 

Forwarder. In the event Carrier cannot confirm that such cargo is ready for carriage or 

that the data in the status update message (e.g. FSU/RCS) to the Freight Forwarder 

deviates in weight, volume and/or total number of pieces in the air waybill data message 

(e.g. FWB) from the Freight Forwarder, the Warsaw Cargo shall be treated according to 

the exception management procedures agreed between the Parties as set forth in 

Section 3 of Annex A. 

3. SIGNATURES ON AIR WAYBILL

The Carrier shall be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder authorizations, representations 

and undertakings set out in Section 5 of this Annex D and on that basis may upon 

acceptance of, but prior to loading of the Warsaw Cargo, stamp or print Freight 

Forwarder’s signature, or a Third Party’s signature if applicable pursuant to Section 6 of 

this Annex D, as “Shipper” on the first and second Originals 1 and 2 of the air waybill 
RP1670-CSCMailVote-May2012.doc Page 29 9-May-2012 

(marked “for issuing Carrier” and “for Consignee” respectively) for and on behalf of the 

Freight Forwarder (or Third Party if applicable) and countersign the Original 2 and sign 

the Original 3 of the air waybill (marked “for consignee” and “for Shipper” respectively) in 

its capacity as carrier and then shall return the Original 3 to the Freight Forwarder. 

Freight Forwarder further agrees that the stamping or printing of the signature on the air 

waybill by the Carrier on behalf of Freight Forwarder or a Third Party as set forth in this 

Section 3 of this Annex D complies fully with the requirements of article 6(4) of the 

Warsaw Convention and/or Warsaw-Hague and with the giving of notice to the Freight 

Forwarder of possible limits on the liability of Carrier in respect of loss of or damage to 

the Warsaw Cargo required under such Conventions. 

4. CONCLUSION OF CARGO CONTRACTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE

Cargo Contracts for purposes of Warsaw Carriage under this Annex D shall be 

concluded upon the stamping or printing of the Shipper’s signature on the air waybill as 

set forth in Section 3 hereof, and such Cargo Contracts shall be governed by the 

Conditions of Contract printed on the reverse side of such air waybill(s) as set forth in 

the then current Cargo Services Conference Resolution 600b. 

5. FREIGHT FORWARDER REPRESENTATIONS

Freight Forwarder represents to Carrier that: 

a) Freight Forwarder has the full and unequivocal authority to enter into this 

Agreement and in particular to assume and be bound by the 

representations, undertakings and obligations set out in this Annex D; and

b) Throughout the term of the Agreement Freight Forwarder shall have the 

full and unequivocal authority to appoint Carrier as Freight Forwarder’s

agent for the purpose of actions required to be undertaken by Carrier 

pursuant to this Annex D. 

c) Carrier may at all times be entitled to rely on Freight Forwarder’s

representations and undertakings herein contained and shall be under no 

obligation whatsoever to make any enquiries as to whether or not any or 

all of these authorizations have been revoked. 

d) in the event of a conflict between the provisions of this Annex D and the 

rest of the Agreement the provisions of this Annex D shall prevail. 

6. THIRD-PARTY SHIPMENTS FOR WARSAW CARRIAGE

For Warsaw Carriage involving a Third Party as Shipper, as further described in Section 

4.4 of the Agreement; Freight Forwarder shall comply with the conditions set forth in 

Section 4.4, 4.5 and Section 4.6. 

Freight Forwarder shall accordingly identify the Third Party as the “Shipper” in the air 

waybill data message (e.g. FWB). 
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THE TRANSMITTAL OF EDI MESSAGES AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 6 OF THIS 

ANNEX D FOR PURPOSES OF CONCLUDING A CARGO CONTRACT BETWEEN A 

THIRD PARTY AND THE CARRIER FOR CARRIAGE BY AIR SHALL AUTHORIZE 

CARRIER, TO THE EXTENT REQUIRED BY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, TO 

MAKE OUT CONFORMING AIR WAYBILLS AND STAMP OR PRINT SIGNATURES 

ON SUCH AIR WAYBILLS ON BEHALF OF THE THIRD PARTY BY TRANSMITTING 

SUCH EDI MESSAGES FREIGHT FORWARDER CERTIFIES THAT FREIGHT 

FORWARDER HAS OBTAINED AUTHORIZATION FROM THE THIRD PARTY TO 

PERMIT SUCH ISSUANCE.