Swiss WorldCargo signs on for Proof of Concept multilateral e-freight

SWISS WorldCargo says it is the first carrier to sign up for the Proof of Concept for IATA's "Multilateral e-Air Waybill Agreement" in support of paperless cargo.

"The agreement will allow forwarders and airlines to get away from the painstaking and slow process of company-to-company and location-to-location agreements which have slowed the adoption of e-commerce until now," said Christine Barden, head of transportation processes and responsible for the e-Air Waybill project at Swiss WorldCargo.

The company said this marks a "significant milestone" in the e-commerce framework promoted by the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG).

This comes as the model agreement for electronic data interchange (EDI) as a substitute for the traditional paper air waybill is proposed to become multilateral. The objective is to have the bilateral EDI agreements between the forwarders and the carriers replaced by a single multilateral agreement.

The concept is that forwarders entering into the agreement with IATA effectively enter into accords with all participating carriers who have appointed IATA as their agent to enter into the agreements with the forwarders on their behalf.

A Proof of Concept has been launched by IATA with a group of freight forwarders and carriers to trial the draft agreement and provide recommendations on potential enhancements. The final version of the accord is expected to be adopted as an IATA resolution and declared effective by mid-2013, a company statement said.

It described the Multilateral e-Air Waybill Agreement as a "crucial development within the e-Air Waybill framework" introduced by IATA with the acknowledgement of the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association FIATA and GACAG for the benefit of airlines, shippers and freight forwarders.