Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), Cathay Cargo, and CHAMP Cargosystems announced they will go live with a joint use case of IATA’s ONE Record digital data-sharing standard to help drive a ‘step-change’ in air cargo industry efficiency, transparency, and collaboration.

ONE Record builds on IATA’s earlier e-freight programme and more recent e-AWB initiative, which is now used for most air cargo shipments.

“The use case launch will see Cathay Cargo send shipment booking data to WFS in real-time via CHAMP’s 1Neo-Connect server using IATA’s ONE Record API data standards,” the announcement said.

It added that this will replace the consolidated Flight Booking List (FBL) message, currently sent in a traditional Cargo-IMP format over the SITA and ARINC networks. 

ONE Record creates a single record view of a shipment and defines a common data model for the data that is shared via standardized and secured web API. The standard is based on mature but progressive data-sharing technologies that are well aligned with the best practices used by leading airlines, making it directly accessible to IT teams and service providers.

The announcement said that through this collaboration, initially for shipments between Paris CDG and Hong Kong, WFS, Cathay, and CHAMP, a new way of exchanging data will be established. 

“As the use case progresses and new trade lanes are added, it will be expanded to include a wide variety of data types, according to the IATA ONE Record data model. The aim is to receive more comprehensive data sooner to allow better operational decisions which enhance operational excellence and benefits for all partners,” it added.

Future ONE Record use cases will include shipment records, accompanying documents, special cargo, checklists, and other planning data to increase visibility and help cargo handlers manage workload. 

Ultimately, it will help to drive new value-added services and business models.

WFS currently provides cargo handling services for Cathay Cargo in Belgium, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as in four major airport stations in North America - Boston, Houston, Los Angeles & Miami - and in Bengaluru, India. 

“ONE Record is a step-change in the way the air cargo industry exchanges information and will take digitalisation to the next level to improve data visibility, transparency, quality, and control. As leading players in the industry, WFS, Cathay Cargo and CHAMP are launching this use case to not only test its efficiency but to also signal our intent to move forward with ONE Record and make IATA’s implementation target date a reality,” said Pedro Garcia, chief information officer, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA) at WFS. 

“This is not about sending the same information via a different channel; it provides an opportunity to exchange much richer data with greater frequency and will lead to improved efficiency across the air cargo ecosystem,” he added.

Chris McDermott, CHAMP CEO, noted that CHAMP sees ONE Record as the “standard” that will drive the full digitalization of air cargo and enable new services.

Tom Owen, Cathay Director Cargo, also signalled optimism for ONE Record and its significance in digitalizing the air cargo industry.  

“We are extremely proud of the work we’ve done alongside CHAMP and WFS to embrace ONE Record, starting with this important and significant use case,” he said.

“We look forward to benefitting from ONE Record’s capabilities and continuing to work with both CHAMP and WFS on this initiative,” Owen added.

IATA’s goal is for airlines and their supply chain stakeholders to have implemented ONE Record capability by January 1, 2026, as part of the Association’s phased digitalisation programme for air cargo transportation.