Cathay Cargo has become the first airline to integrate the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) ONE Record data protocol into its daily operations with freight forwarders. This move precedes IATA’s planned full implementation date of January 2026 by a year.
In December 2024, three freight forwarding companies on the Chinese Mainland, namely Sinotrans Air Freight, WECAN International Freight Forwarding International Logistics, and ALL-LINK Logistics, began using an application program interface (API) based on ONE Record data protocols to exchange electronic air waybill (eAWB) and shipment status information with Cathay Cargo. Following this development, in January 2025, Sinotrans Hong Kong Air Transportation Development became the first Hong Kong-based forwarder to utilize these protocols for submitting eAWB information and reviewing shipment details from Cathay Cargo.
Tom Owen, Cathay Director Cargo, stated: “These successful real-world use cases demonstrate the continuing commitment of Cathay Cargo to taking a leadership role in the digitalisation of the air-cargo shipment process. We are well positioned to meet IATA’s ONE Record implementation target of January 2026. The technical ease of aligning our key customers’ systems using ONE Record protocols with APIs highlights that there is nothing to fear in making the change and lots to be gained from the operational efficiencies, enhanced security and greater transparency of the overall shipment process.”
The ONE Record initiative by IATA aims to provide end-to-end visibility for consignments throughout their journey across multiple stages within the air-cargo chain—from shipper through agent, airline, warehouse, and regulatory authorities like customs—by adhering to established API protocols.
Sinotrans has integrated its eAWB data through a specialized digital interface developed by Global Logistics System (HK) Company Limited (GLS), Cathay Cargo’s innovation partner. GLS has previously designed other significant digital projects for Cathay Cargo including Click & Ship—an online booking platform.
This new connection allows stakeholders involved in shipments to access more comprehensive data than what was available via traditional methods such as CIMP (Cargo Interchange Message Procedure). With ONE Record integration, stakeholders can retrieve multi-dimensional data from Cathay Cargo’s Ultra Track solution including temperature and geolocation details alongside information from cooltainers equipped with data transmitters like Envirotainer’s Releye packaging.
Wen Xuan Zang, Sinotrans Director of Digitalisation commented: “We are thrilled to be the first cargo forwarder to partner with Cathay in the roll-out of ONE Record for data communication. This innovative approach will revolutionise our operations, enhancing efficiency and transparency in cargo shipment processes. We look forward to setting new industry standards together with Cathay Cargo and providing our customers with an even higher level of service.”
IATA Head of Digital Cargo Henk Mulder added: “All this data is only meaningful when considered together, in the context of one shipment. IATA’s ONE Record data-sharing standard offers an intelligent data infrastructure where data is linked in a vast and decentralised network where stakeholders can access relevant data securely, receiving relevant updates to drive their transport and logistics processes. I am delighted to see this real-world production example of communication between different cargo stakeholders.”
Tom Owen further noted: “At Cathay Cargo, we know how important it is to work with our customers to increase the transparency and data connectivity of air cargo. We will continue to take the lead in providing the API links necessary to customers, and look forward to helping more of them implement direct connection with us using the ONE Record protocols.”
