Lufthansa Cargo, together with WiseTech Global and Ibs Software, has completed one of the first large-scale implementations of IATA’s new One Record standard, the unified format for exchanging digital data in air freight transport. The German carrier has successfully exchanged the first shipment records in a production environment, a step that marks the move beyond the experimental phase carried out in recent months through several pilot projects. IATA (International Air Transport Association) introduced One Record in January 2026 to enable simple and transparent data exchange within the digital ecosystem involving carriers, freight forwarders and air cargo data platforms. In the collaboration, WiseTech Global provides the system used by many freight forwarders, while Ibs Software supplies Lufthansa Cargo’s IT platform: an arrangement that made it possible to test the standard on opposite sides of the transport chain.
The main advantage of the new format lies in the ability to verify and process shipment data within company systems even before the goods are physically transported. Compared with the past, One Record also enables a considerably larger volume of data and file formats to be exchanged, with direct benefits for transparency across the entire transport chain down to individual shipment level and for more proactive management of every stage of the process. The first use case demonstrated by the three operators concerns the processing of data contained in the master air waybill (Mawb) through One Record, enabling seamless exchange between freight forwarders and the carrier. The shipment record was generated by a freight forwarder on WiseTech’s CargoWise platform at Mawb level, then received and processed by Lufthansa Cargo’s system through Ibs Software’s One Record server.
Lufthansa Cargo has pursued the introduction of One Record for years to support more efficient, paperless data sharing, said Jasmin Kaiser, head of Information Management and chief data officer at the carrier. Following the pilot projects, the company is now ready to connect with customers and suppliers more quickly and efficiently on an industrial scale; according to Kaiser, uninterrupted data exchange also lays the groundwork for the introduction of further digital services based on artificial intelligence. For WiseTech Global, the connection with Ibs Software and Lufthansa Cargo is the result of months of joint work to implement the new standard at shipment record level, said Elias Hatzigeorgiou, the company’s senior product manager. According to Hatzigeorgiou, the operation shows what can be achieved when industry players work together around a shared digital vision, replacing fragmented communications with a single standardised source of truth for shipment data.
Radhesh Menon, head of cargo and logistics solutions at Ibs Software, described the collaboration with Lufthansa Cargo and WiseTech Global as an important step for the company, stressing that technology and digitalisation remain among the main growth drivers for air cargo. One Record is designed as the reference standard for end-to-end data exchange along the entire air cargo transport chain. Developed under the coordination of IATA, it defines a common data model shared through a standardised and secure API. The format is distributed as a free open-source solution and is updated through an open and transparent development process, with the stated aim of ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements that are expected to increase over time. Freight forwarders, carriers and data platforms can connect their IT systems to One Record via API to track shipments or correct and supplement their data.
Antonio Illariuzzi
