IATA Airlines have agreed to apply the liability limit under the Montreal Convention on a worldwide basis. At the World Cargo Symposium held earlier this year in Vancouver, the IATA Cargo Services Conference (CSC) amended Resolution 600b, the Air Waybill (AWB) Conditions of Contract, to harmonise the application of the Montreal Convention liability limit for air cargo (19 SDRs per kilogram) across all routes worldwide. Having now received the necessary government approval, IATA has declared the harmonised liability limit for transportation of cargo effective 1 July 2010.

The harmonisation will also assist with the implementation of e-freight and the IATA electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB). Airline Members have now agreed to accept increased liability voluntarily on routes not now covered by the Montreal Convention, including all variants of the 'Warsaw Convention'. As there are still many countries and regions who have not yet signed the Montreal Convention it will at least standardise and simplify understanding of claim liability limits and settlements, where appropriate.

Airlines and IATA Neutral AWB stock will transition to the new conditions as soon as possible. Under IATA Resolution 600a, IATA Carriers are given the time until their next AWB stock print runs are due but in no event later than 18 months from the declaration of effectiveness (i.e. Jan 2012) to complete the transition. During the transition, current stocks of Airline AWB's and IATA Neutral AWB's may be used and Airlines will amend their own Conditions of Carriage and should be notifying forwarders and other trading partners of the new changes under Resolution 600b, with regard to the liability limits.

Attached also please find the following:

1) Declaration of Effectiveness of Resolution 600b (1 July 2010)
2) Clean version of Resolution 600b
3) Marked version of Resolution 600b highlighting the changes.

Also the following is the link to the 600b information posted on the IATA website:
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/Pages/resolution600b.aspx

Please advise all concerned

Thanks and regards