Cargo Documents

Airfreight shipment generates up to 30 different paper documents

CARGO MANIFEST: A document listed by AWB numbers loaded on a flight. It is mainly used for customs entry/exit.

CUSTOMS BROKER: An agent specialized in inbound customs clearance

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE: The accomplishment of the Customs formalities necessary to allow goods to enter the country, to be exported or to be placed under another customers procedure.

CUSTOMS CLEARANCE AGENT: A customs broker or other agent of the consignee designated to perform customs clearance services for the consignee.

FREIGHT STATUS UPDATE (FSU): Standard CargoIMP message identifier used to notify/update interested parties with a (change of) status of a shipment as recorded in the system of the handling party.

FREIGHT STATUS REQUEST (FSR): Standard CargoIMP message identifier used to request the current status of a nominated shipment.

FREIGHT STATUS ANSWER (FSA): A standard CargoIMP message identifier used to reply to a Status Request (FSR) indicating latest status, or statuses, in the movement of the nominated shipment.

GENERAL SALES AGENT (GSA): An agent authorized in a country to handle an airline's export sales/services.

GROSS WEIGHT: The weight of a shipment, it's container and packing material.

NET WEIGHT: The actual weight of an article exclusive of the packaging.

HOUSE AIR WAYBILL (HAWB): Document issued by an international air Freight Forwarder under the terms of their own tariff.

MASTER AIR WAYBILL (MAWB): The carrier's airbill issued to cover a consolidated shipment tendered by a forwarder or consolidator.

IN-BOND TRANSPORTATION: Transporting a transit cargo shipment in bond without clearing customs to the destination.

ROAD FEEDER SERVICE (RFS): Surface transportation arranged by a carrier to/from his gateway stations to another airport.

SPECIAL DRAWING RIGHT (SDR): A reserve asset used as a unit of account, as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

THROUGH CARGO:  Cargo staying on board at a stopping place en-route for ongoing carrier on the same flight.

TRANSFER MANIFEST (TRM): The document executed by the transferring carrier upon transfer of interline cargo and endorsed by the receiving carrier as a receipt for the consignment transferred.

TRANSSHIPMENT: The unloading of cargo from one flight and loading onto another for onward carriage.

TRANSIT: An enroute stopping place where cargo remains on board.

TRANSIT CARGO: Cargo arriving at a point and departing by another flight.

ULD CONTROL RECEIPT (UCR): A voucher of transfer ULD signed by transferring and receiving carriers which is used to retrieve ULD and for account settlement of ULD demurrage.

UNIT LOAD DEVICE (ULD): A container or pallet used to transport cargo on an aircraft. Valuable Cargo VAL Shipments of high value requiring advance arrangement and special handling.

Trade documents :- Sent electronically by origin shippers and/or freight forwarders to destination either using agreed EDI standards (XML) or imaged (scanned) documents – similar to what is done today in ‘pre-alerts’
1) Invoice 2) Packing List

Transport documents :- Replaced with IATA Cargo- IMP electronic messages
(FWB, FHL, FFM, FSU), already in use by many airlines and forwarders or XML equivalents now also available)
1) Flight Manifest 2) Air Waybill 3) House Manifest 4) House Waybill

Customs documents:-  implemented in locations where import and export
declarations and release programs are in place and where customs agree they
do not need original paper documents.
1) Export Goods Declaration 2) Export Cargo Declaration 3) Export Release
4) Import Goods Declaration 5) Import Cargo Declaration 6) Import Release

Tracking e-freight shipments :- e-freight shipments are identified by two codes (EAW or EAP) which must appear in the FWB sent by the freight forwarder to the airline as a Special Handling Code.
EAW is for e-freight shipments with no pouch. Its definition (per CIMP manual) is: ‘e-freight consignment with no accompanying documents’.
EAP is for e-freight shipments with no in scope documents transported but where a document pouch still needs to be carried (for example, to transport a certificate of origin). Its CIMP definition is: ‘e-freight consignment with accompanying documents’

e-FOP e-freight Operational Procedure. we can distinguish 3 types of e-FOPs:
-The generic e-FOP which is the IATA e-FOP
- The location e-FOP which is the e-FOP defined by the local BWG based on the IATA e-FOP and endorsed by the local eFMG of a specific location
- The internal e-FOP for each stakeholder which is defined by the stakeholder itself prior to adoption of e-freight