FHL
FHL is the IATA Cargo-IMP message that transmits the House Air Waybill (HAWB) details consolidated under a single Master Air Waybill — the house manifest of a consolidation. For each house waybill it carries the shipper, consignee, pieces, weight and goods description, plus the customs data increasingly required for advance filing. The Cargo-XML equivalent is XFHL.
FHL is what makes consolidation visible to the airline and to customs: a forwarder consolidating many small shipments into one master AWB uses FWB for the master and FHL to declare every house shipment underneath it. Accurate FHL data is now central to air-cargo advance security and customs regimes (such as ACAS and ICS2).
FHL is how the individual shipments inside a consolidation are declared. Without it, the airline and customs only see the master AWB, not the real shippers and consignees underneath — which is exactly what advance-security programmes like ACAS and ICS2 need, so accurate FHL data is now a compliance requirement, not just operational detail.
(FWB)
declared
advance filing
What is the difference between FWB and FHL?
FWB carries the Master Air Waybill data; FHL lists the House Air Waybills consolidated under that master — the individual shipments inside a consolidation.
Why is FHL important for customs?
Advance-security and customs regimes (such as ACAS and ICS2) need the real shipper and consignee of each house shipment — data the FHL provides.