When IATA first unveiled ONE Record, the vision was clear: a unified, API-based data standard that could finally lift air cargo out of its legacy communication trap. Nearly five years in, however, the pace of adoption has been glacial, and the latest industry webinar revealed why.
While over half of webinar participants say they are actively investigating use cases for ONE Record, just 8 percent have begun implementation. That number is lower than it was a year ago. And yet, among the panel of experts—including IATA’s Brendan Sullivan, CHAMP CCO Nicholas Xenocostas, and Saudia Cargo’s Ardel Hipos, the mood remained cautiously optimistic.
“If people can start thinking about the use case and the business value it creates, that’s an excellent starting point,” said Xenocostas. “Then you can justify a budget, overcome resistance, and begin the mindset shift.”
Barriers to progress
For an initiative that aspires to be air cargo’s future backbone, ONE Record still suffers from a basic problem: most stakeholders don’t know where to start.
According to Sullivan, this inertia is nothing new. “We know this of ourselves as an industry—we are slow to adopt,” he said. But that doesn’t make the challenge less urgent. ONE Record is designed to replace the outdated Cargo-IMP standards from the 1970s. And as Sullivan pointed out, the need is no longer just commercial—it’s regulatory.
“We’ve hit the limitation of the legacy messaging environment,” he said. “And some of the new requirements, especially from customs and security authorities, actually require us to move forward.”
Still, many organisations remain stuck between curiosity and commitment. When asked what’s holding them back, respondents cited not budget (16 percent ) but lack of knowledge (27 percent ) and internal resistance to change (26 percent).
For Saudia Cargo, the breakthrough came by narrowing focus. “We’re taking a practical approach by concentrating on a single use case—the shipment pre-advice via FWB message from airline to ground handler,” said Hipos. That initial success, built in partnership with WFS and CHAMP, is now paving the way for broader rollout.
“This use case brings significant benefits: better preparation, faster handling, and smarter resource planning,” he added.
CHAMP’s response to adoption friction has been to meet users where they are. Their “1Neo-Connect” initiative offers a three-phase entry into ONE Record, starting with a sandbox.
“It’s essentially a play area where you can explore how the protocol works without risk,” explained Nicholas Scheiber, Business Analyst at CHAMP. “You don’t need to be a CHAMP customer. If you’ve got Cargo-IMP messages, you can start testing today.”
This phased approach, sandbox, pilot, then full integration—reflects a broader philosophy: ONE Record shouldn’t be a technical project, but a business one. Scheiber argues that the standard opens the door not just to data exchange, but to genuine process redesign.
“For the first time, we’re not just sending messages back and forth. You’re going to the single source of truth,” added Xenocostas. “It changes how we handle exceptions, how we coordinate, how we serve customers.”
That capability becomes essential when dealing with high-volume, high-velocity verticals like e-commerce. “There’s no way we can support modern e-commerce demands with legacy protocols,” he said. “The data intensity is just too high.”
Despite the long runway, ONE Record now has a hard deadline. From January 2026, IATA has declared it the preferred standard for data exchange among airlines. But that doesn’t guarantee uniform adoption—or industry-wide compliance.
Asked what happens if ONE Record fails, Xenocostas didn’t mince words: “Then what’s the alternative? We don’t have one. If we don’t succeed, we’ll fragment. Everyone will create their own standards. And that’s not a good day for air cargo.”
There are also broader implications. Without a modernised data infrastructure, the industry risks falling further behind competitors in maritime and road freight, both of which are rapidly digitalising. Worse, it may find itself unable to comply with emerging regulatory regimes that demand real-time traceability and granular shipment-level data.
The irony? Most of the barriers to adoption are internal.
“If you can send any data to any stakeholder, what would you send?” asked Xenocostas. “Start there. Think about what adds value. We’ll take care of the tech.”
Start small, but start now
The message from the webinar was both blunt and hopeful: air cargo doesn’t have the luxury of time, but it does have the tools.
With forwarders, handlers, and integrators all exploring digital use cases, the challenge now is to convert pilot enthusiasm into operational reality. Whether driven by regulatory deadlines, customer pressure, or competitive threat, the next 18 months will define whether ONE Record becomes the norm, or just another well-meaning initiative that never scaled.
As Sullivan concluded, “Let’s stop looking backwards. The future really is ahead of us.”
