e-freight

fundamentals

INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION 2015

e-freight Vision
Shipper
Origin
Forwarder

Carrier
Origin
GHA

Destination
GHA

Consignee
Destination
Forwarder

Export
Customs/
Regulators

Import
Customs/
Regulators

Building and implementing an end-to-end

paperless transportation process for the air
cargo industry where paper documents are
replaced with the exchange of electronic data

Safe, Secure, Reliable, Efficient

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e-freight fundamentals (1/3)

e-freight is about building a paper free air cargo supply chain
It includes a set of business processes and standards that allow to
remove paper documents from the process of shipping air cargo from
origin to destination
Documents are replaced with the exchange of electronic data

INTERNATIONAL AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION 2015

e-freight fundamentals (2/3)

The e-freight initiative identifies the locations where those electronic
standards can be used
The e-freight initiative drives adoption of those standards by industry
participants via targeted change management initiatives

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e-freight fundamentals (3/3)

e-Doc standards used as part of e-freight rely on use of EDI (CargoIMP or XML) or scanned images (for some documents)
e-freight uses the existing air cargo industry messaging
infrastructure. Participants must use in-house technology to connect
to their partners or use tools provided by their partners or 3rd party
providers

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Scope: e-freight documents

Shippers
Carrier
Origin
Freight Forwarders
Export
Customs
1. Invoice
2. Packing List
3. Certificate of Origin
4. Letter of Instruction
5. Dangerous Goods Declaration
6.CITES certificate*

Origin
GHA

Destination
GHA
Import
Customs

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Master Air Waybill

House Waybill
House Manifest
Export Goods Declaration
Customs Release Export

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

Flight Manifest
Transfer Manifest
Export Cargo Declaration
Import Cargo Declaration
Transit Declaration*
Security Declaration*
Freight Book List*
19.
20.

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Destination
Freight Forwarders

Import Goods Declaration

Customs Release Import

Consignees

e-freight: Why do it?

Cost:
Eliminate paper handling, transporting and processing cost
(eliminates data re-capture)

Time:
Reduced freight wait time

Visibility:
Quality electronic messaging for tracking status of freight

Quality:
Unified Quality Management Standards

Sustainability:
Contribute to environment by reducing paper consumption

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Cargo-XML Standards for e-freight

IATA published the Cargo-XML Manual and
Toolkit (1st Edition) containing the following 14
Cargo-XML Messages:
Transport Messages

Acronym

XML Waybill

XFWB

XML House Waybill

XFZB

XML House Manifest

XFHL

XML Flight Manifest

XFFM

XML Freight Booked List

XFBL

XML Status Message

XFSU

XML Response Message

XFNM

XML Booking Message

XFFR

XML Custom Status Notification

XCSN

Commercial Messages
XML Shippers Declaration for Dangerous
Goods

XSDG

XML Invoice

XINV

XML Packing List

XPCL

XML Certificate of Origin

XCOO

XML Shippers Letter of Instruction

XSLI

Note: IATA also developed CITES permit and Transit Declaration

in conjunction with respective organizations i.e. Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and World
Customs Organization (WCO)

For further details about Cargo-XML standards please visit www.iata.org/cxmltf

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Acronym

e-freight development life cycle

2006 2007

2008

2009 2010

2011

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Project Kick -Off

Pilots in six
locations (1)
First e-FOPs (2)

Develop missing
standards

Drive Roadmap towards

100% paperless

GACAG
Roadmap

Build the route network

(location Capability)

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In 2012 GACAG adopted a

three-pillar Roadmap to achieve
paperless transportation

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Three Pillars towards paperless

Shipper
Origin
Forwarder

Carrier
Origin
GHA

Destination
GHA

Consignee
Destination
Forwarder

Pillar III
Pillar II
Pillar I

Import
Customs/
Regulators

Export
Customs/
Regulators

Pillar I Establish Route

Network (enabler)

Pillar II Implement Paperless

airport-to-airport

Pillar III Implement

Paperless door-to-door

Engage regulators to create

network where customs are
electronic and regulatory
environment supports paperless

Digitize core transport docs: Air Waybill,

House Manifest, Consignment Security Dec.
(CSD), Flight Manifest
Goal: Paperless acceptance and delivery of
freight, airport to airport.

Digitize core commercial docs

(invoice/Packing list/HAWB) and
Special cargo docs
Goal: Removal of document
pouches, shipper to consignee

*Air Waybill, House Manifest, Flight Manifest, (Consignment Security Declaration is anticipated)

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What is required for

e-freight to work?

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Key electronic customs requirements

for e-freight
Customs should accept:

Electronic as an alternative to paper-based requirements

Goods & cargo declarations exchanged electronically
Release & control notification exchanged electronically
Supporting documents exchanged electronically
Messages & supporting documents archived electronically
Paper by exceptions e.g. for examination
Paper printout of electronic records instead of paper originals at least for invoice and
packing list, master air waybill and house air waybill (including for post-flight audits)

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e-freight trade & transport

messages should feed
Customs messages, reducing
manual entries and
increasing Quality

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Flight Manifest
Cargo Declaration

House Manifest

House Waybill

House Waybill

Invoice

Invoice

Invoice

Packing List

Packing List

Packing List

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Customs

Transportation

Air Waybill

Trade

Master Air Waybill

Goods Declaration

Appendix
e-freight: end-to-end data flow for General Cargo
e-freight: Principles
e-freight: find out more

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e-freight end-to-end data flow

for General Cargo
In the paperless environment, data flows match the
requirements of each party for information
The following diagram represents one possible data flow
scenario
Other scenarios exist based on the location, the nature of the
cargo, or the specific arrangement between the parties

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e-freight end-to-end data flow for General Cargo

Invoice
Packing List
Invoice
Packing List
Air Waybill
House Manifest
House Waybill

Invoice
Packing List

Shippers
Cargo Acceptance

Origin
Freight Forwarders
Export Goods Decl. /
Customs Release Export

Consignees

Carrier

Air Waybill
House Manifest

Export Cargo Decl. /

Customs Release Export

Flight Manifest
Air Waybill
House Manifest

Import Cargo Decl. /

Customs Release Import

Export Customs

Import Goods Decl. /

Customs Release Import

Freight flow
Information flow EDI
Information flow EDI or Scan

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Destination
Freight Forwarders

Import Customs
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e-freight: Principles (1/2)

In support of the vision to build and implement an end-to-end paperless process for
the air cargo industry, GACAG members have identified the following principles.
The initiative shall:
Aim to achieve data capture at source (to avoid re-keying)
Adopt end-to-end supply chain vision: shipper to consignee (to enable single data
capture)
Encompass customs, security and transportation and other relevant documents that
are part of the freight transportation process
Include legal, regulatory, business and technology elements in the definition of
paperless processes
Rely on e-Document standards and common business processes (defined in e-freight
Operating Procedures e-FOP) that are aligned with international standard setting
bodies (WCO, UNCEFACT, ICAO, etc.)
Allow paper to still be present by exception as required by local processes and based
on electronic source data (print-on-demand)
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e-freight: Principles (2/2)

In support of the vision to build and implement an end-to-end paperless process for
the air cargo industry, GACAG members have identified the following principles :
The initiative shall:
Not rely on single industry technology platform: each participant remains responsible for
managing their own data
Use existing industry EDI infrastructure where sufficient, but upgrade where relevant
Drive emergence of solutions that facilitate adoption by all parts of the supply chain,
and all types of organizations (large and small)
Identify workable migration paths from current paper based processes to paperless
processes
Define a roadmap towards 100% paperless that splits the vision in manageable
components with specific deliverables over time

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e-freight: Find out more

Tools provided by IATA to support you:

e-Cargo Matchmaker: who does e-freight where

e-freight complete Case Studies
e-freight Handbook: implementation guide
e-freight self-assessment questionnaire
e-freight Model EDI agreement (for e-AWB)
Capability Matrix of IT Providers

www.iata.org/e-freight and www.iata.org/e-AWB

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