CHAPTER I
SCOPE-DEFINITIONS
1. (1) These rules apply to all international carriage of persons, baggage or cargo performed by
aircraft for reward. They apply equally to gratuitous carriage by aircraft performed by an air transport
undertaking.
(2) In these rules, “High Contracting Party” means a High Contracting Party to the amended
Convention.
(3) for the purposes of these rules, the expression “International carriage” means any carriage in
which, according to the agreement between the parties, the place of departure and the place of destination,
whether or not there be a break in the carriage or a transhipment, are situated either within the territories
of two High Contracting Parties or within the territory of a single High Contracting Party if there is an
agreed stopping place within the territory of another State, even if that State is not a High Contracting
Party. Carriage between two points within the territory of a single High Contracting Party without an
agreed stopping place within the territory of another State is not international carriage for the purposes of
these rules.
(4) Carriage to be performed by several successive air carriers is deemed, for the purposes of these
rules, to be one undivided carriage if it has been regarded by the parties as a single operation, whether it
had been agreed upon under the form of a single contract or of a series of contracts, and it does not lose
its international character merely because one contract or a series of contracts is to be performed entirely
within the territory of the same State.
2. (1) These rules apply to carriage performed by the State or by legally constituted public bodies
provided it falls within the conditions laid down in rule 1.
(2) These rules shall not apply to carriage of mail and postal packages.
CHAPTER II
DOCUMENTS OF CARRIAGE
Part I.—Passenger ticket
3. (1) In respect of the carriage of passengers a ticket shall be delivered containing:
(a) an indication of the places of departure and destination;
(b) if the places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single High Contracting
Party, one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State, an indication of
at least one such stopping place;
(c) a notice to the effect that, if the passenger’s journey involves an ultimate destination or stop in
a country other than the country of departure, the amended Convention may be applicable and that the
amended Convention governs and in most cases limits the liability of carriers for death or personal
injury and in respect of loss, or damage to, baggage.
(2) The passenger ticket shall constitute prima facie evidence of the conclusion and conditions of the
contract of carriage. The absence, irregularity or loss of the passenger ticket does not affect the existence
or the validity of the contract of carriage which shall, nonetheless,be subject to these rules. Nevertheless,
if, with the consent of the carrier, the passenger embarks without a passenger ticket having been
delivered, or if the ticket does not include the notice required by sub-rule (1) (c) of this rule, the carrier
shall not be entitled to avail himself of the provisions of rule 22.
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Part II.—Baggage check
4. (1) In respect of the carriage of registered baggage, a baggage check shall be delivered, which,
unless combined with or incorporated in a passenger ticket which complies with the provisions of subrule (1) of rule 3 shall contain:
(a) an indication of the places of departure and destination;
(b) if the places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single High Contracting
Party, one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State, an indication of
at least one such stopping place;
(c) a notice to the effect that, if the carriage involves an ultimate destination or stop in a country
other than the country of departure, the amended Convention may be applicable and that the amended
Convention governs and in most cases limits the liability of carriers in respect of loss of, or damage
to, baggage.
(2) The baggage check shall constitute prima facie evidence of the registration of the baggage and of
the conditions of the contract of carriage. The absence, irregularity or loss of the baggage check does not
affect the existence or the validity of the contract of carriage which shall, nonetheless, be subject to these
rules. Nevertheless, if the carrier takes charge of the baggage without a baggage check having been
delivered or if the baggage check [unless combined with or incorporated in the passenger ticket which
complies with the provisions of sub-rule (1) (c) of rule 3] does not include the notice required by sub-rule
(1) (c) of this rule, he shall not be entitled to avail himself of the provisions of sub-rule (2) of rule 22.
Part III.—Air waybill
5. (1) Every carrier of cargo has the right to require the consignor to make out and hand over to him a
document called an “air waybill”; every consignor has the right to require the carrier to accept this
document.
(2) The absence, irregularity or loss of this document does not affect the existence or the validity of
the contract of carriage which shall, subject to the provisions of rule 9, be nonetheless governed by these
rules.
6. (1) The air waybill shall be made out by the consignor in three original parts and be handed over
with the cargo.
(2) The first part shall be marked “for the carrier”, and shall be signed by the consignor. The second
part shall be marked “for the consignee”; it shall be signed by the consignor and by the carrier and shall
accompany the cargo. The third part shall be signed by the carrier and handed by him to the consignor
after the cargo has been accepted.
(3) The carrier shall sign prior to the loading of the cargo or board the aircraft.
(4) The signature of the carrier may be stamped; that of the consignor may be printed or stamped.
(5) If, at the request of the consignor, the carrier makes out the air waybill, he shall be deemed,
subject to proof to the contrary, to have done so on behalf of the consignor.
7. The carrier of cargo has the right to require the consignor to make out separate waybills when there
is more than one package.
8. The air waybill shall contain:
(a) an indication of the places of departure and destination;
(b) if the places of departure and destination are within the territory of a single High Contracting
Party, one or more agreed stopping places being within the territory of another State, an indication of
at least one such stopping place;
(c) a notice to the consignor to the effect that, if the carriage involves an ultimate destination or
stop in a country other than the country of departure, the amended Convention may by applicable and
that the amended Convention governs and in most cases limits the liability of carriers in respect of
loss of, or damage to, cargo.
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9. If, with the consent of the carrier, cargo is loaded on board the aircraft without an air waybill
having been made out, or if the air waybill does not include the notice required by rule 8(c), the carrier
shall not be entitled to avail himself of the provisions of sub-rule (2) of rule 22.
10. (1) The consignor is responsible for the correctness of the particulars and statements relating to
the cargo which he inserts in the air waybill.
(2) The consignor shall indemnify the carrier against all damage suffered by him, or by any other
person to whom the carrier is liable, by reason of the irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of the
particulars and statements furnished by the consignor.
11. (1) The air waybill is prima facie evidence of the conclusion of the contract, of the receipt of the
cargo and of the conditions of carriage.
(2) The statements in the air waybill relating to the weight, dimensions and packing of the cargo, as
well as those relating to the number of packages, are prima facie evidence of the facts stated; those
relating to the quantity, volume and condition of the cargo do not constitute evidence against the carrier
except so far as they both have been, and are stated in the air waybill to have been, checked by him in the
presence of the consignor, or relate to the apparent condition of the cargo.
12. (1) Subject to his liability to carry out all his obligations under the contract of carriage, the
consignor has the right to dispose of the cargo by withdrawing it at the aerodrome of departure or
destination, or by stopping it in the course of the journey on any landing, or by calling for it to be
delivered at the place of destination or in the course of the journey to a person other than the consignee
named in the air waybill, or by requiring it to be returned to the aerodrome of departure. He must not
exercise this right of disposition in such a way as to prejudice the carrier or other consignors and he must
repay any expenses occasioned by the exercise of this right.
(2) If it is impossible to carry out the orders of the consignor the carrier must so inform him forthwith.
(3) If the carrier obeys the orders of the consignor for the disposition of the cargo without requiring
the production of the part of the air waybill delivered to the latter, he will be liable, without prejudice to
his right of recovery from the consignor, for any damage which may be caused thereby to any person who
is lawfully in possession of that part of the air waybill.
(4) The right conferred on the consignor ceases at the moment when that of the consignee begins in
accordance with rule.
13. Nevertheless, if the consignee declines to accept the waybill or the cargo, or if he cannot be
communicated with, the consignor resumes his right of disposition.
13. (1) Except in the circumstances set out in the preceding rule, the consignee is entitled on arrival of
the cargo at the place of destination to require the carrier to hand over to him the air waybill and to deliver
the cargo to him, on payment of the charges due and on complying with the conditions of carriage set out
in the air waybill.
(2) Unless it is otherwise agreed, it is the duty of the carrier to give notice to the consignee as soon as
the cargo arrives.
(3) If the carrier admits the loss of the cargo, or if the cargo has not arrived at the expiration of seven
days after the date on which it ought to have arrived, the consignee is entitled to put into force against the
carrier the rights which flow from the contract of carriage.
14. The consignor and the consignee can respectively enforce all the rights given to them by rules 12
and 13, each in his own name, whether he is acting in his own interest or in the interest of another,
provided that he carries out the obligations imposed by the contract.
15. (1) Rules 12, 13 and 14 do not affect either the relations of the consignor or the consignee with
each other or the mutual relations of third parties whose rights are derived either from the consignor or
from the consignee.
(2) The provisions of rules 12, 13 and 14 can only be varied by express provision in the air waybill.
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(3) Nothing in these rules prevents the issue of a negotiable air waybill.
16. (1) The consignor must furnish such information and attach to the air waybill such documents as
are necessary to meet the formalities of customs, octroi or police before the cargo can be delivered to the
consignee. The consignor is liable to the carrier for any damage occasioned by the absence, insufficiency
or irregularity of any such information or documents, unless the damage is due to the fault of the carrier
or his servants or agents.
(2) The carrier is under no obligation to enquire into the correctness or sufficiency of such
information or documents.
CHAPTER III
LIABILITY OF THE CARRIER
17. The carrier is liable for damage sustained in the event of the death or wounding of a passenger or
a passenger or any other bodily injury suffered by a passenger, if the accident which caused the damage
so sustained took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or
disembarking.
18. (1) The carrier is liabile for damage sustained in the event of the destruction or loss of, or of
damage to, any registered baggage or any cargo, if the occurrence which caused the damage so sustained
took place during the carriage by air.
(2) The carriage by air within the meaning of the preceding sub-rule comprises the period during
which the baggage or cargo is in charge of the carrier, whether in an aerodrome or on board an aircraft,
or, in the case of a landing outside an aerodrome, in any place whatsoever.
(3) The period of the carriage by air does not extend to any carriage by land, by sea or by river
performed outside an aerodrome. If, however, such a carriage takes place in the performance of a contract
for carriage by air, for the purpose of loading, delivery or transhipment, any damage is presumed, subject
to proof to the contrary, to have been the result of an event which took place during the carriage by air.
19. The carrier is liable for damage occasioned by delay in the carriage by air of passengers, baggage
or cargo.
20. The carrier is not liable if he proves that he and his servants or agents have taken all necessary
measures to avoid the damage or that it was impossible for him or them to take such measures.
21. If the carrier proves that the damage was caused by or contributed to by the negligence of the
injured person the Court may, in accordance with the provisions of its own law, exonerate the carrier
wholly or partly from his liability.
22. (1) In the carriage of persons the liability of the carrier for each passenger is limited to the sum of
2,50,000 francs. Where, in accordance with the law of the Court seized of the case, damages may be
awarded in the form of periodical payments the equivalent capital value of the said payments shall not
exceed 2,50,000 francs. Nevertheless, by special contract, the carrier and the passenger may agree to a
higher limit of liability.
(2) (a) In the carriage of registered baggage and of cargo, the liability of the carrier is limited to a sum
of 250 francs per kilogramme, unless the passenger or consignor has made, at the time when the package
was handed over to the carrier, a special delaration of interest in delivery at destination and has paid a
supplementary sum if the case so requires. In that case the carrier will be liable to pay a sum not
exceeding the declared sum, unless he proves that that sum is greater than the passenger’s or consignor’s
actual interest in delivery at destination.
(b) In the case of loss, damage or delay of part of registered baggage or cargo, or of any object
contained therein, the weight to be taken into consideration in determining the amount to which the
carrier's liability is limited shall be only the total weight of the package or packages concerned.
Nevertheless, when the loss, damage or delay of a part of the registered baggage or cargo, or of an object
contained therein, affects the value of other packages covered by the same baggage check or the same air
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waybill, the total weight of such package or packages shall also be taken into consideration in
determining the limit of liability.
(3) As regards objects of which the passenger takes charge himself the liability of the carrier is
limited to 5,00 francs per passenger.
(4) The limits prescribed in this rule shall not prevent the Court from awarding, in accordance with its
own law, in addition, the whole or part of the Court costs and of the other expenses of the litigation
incurred by the plaintiff. The foregoing provision shall not apply if the amount of the damages awarded,
excluding Court costs and other expenses of the litigation, does not exceed the sum which the carrier has
offered in writing to the plaintiff within a period of six months from the date of the occurrence causing
the damage, or before the commencement of the action, if that is later.
(5) The sums mentioned in francs in this rule shall be deemed to refer to a currency unit consisting of
sixty-five and a half milligrammes of gold of millesimal fineness nine hundred. This sums may be
converted into national currencies in round figures. Conversion of the sums into national currencies other
than gold shall, in case of judicial proceedings, be made according to the gold value of such currencies of
the date of judgment.
23. (1) Any provision tending to relieve the carrier of liability or to fix a lower limit than that which is
laid down in these rules shall be null and void, but the nullity of any such provision does not involve the
nullity of the whole contract, which shall remain subject to the provisions of these rules.
(2) Sub-rule (1) of this rule shall not apply to provisions governing loss or damage resulting from the
inherent defect, quality or vice of the cargo carried.
24. (1) In the cases covered by rules 18 and 19 any action for damages, however founded, can only be
brought subject to the conditions and limits set out in these rules.
(2) In the cases covered by rule 17, the provisions of the preceding sub-rule also apply, without
prejudice to the questions as to who are the persons who have the right to bring suit and what are their
respective rights.
25. The limits of liability specified in rule 22 shall not apply if it is proved that the damage resulted
from an act or omission of the carrier, his servants or agents, done with intent to cause damage or
recklessly and with knowledge that damage would probably result; provided that, in the case of such act
or omission of a servant or agent, it is also proved that he was acting within the scope of his employment.
26. (1) If an action is brought against a servant or agent of the carrier arising out of damage to which
these rules relate, such servant or agent, if he proves that he acted within the scope of his employment,
shall be entitled to avail himself of the limits of liability which that carrier himself is entitled to invoke
under rule 22.
(2) The aggregate of the amounts recoverable from the carrier, his servants and agents, in that case,
shall not exceed the said limits.
(3) The provisions of sub-rules (1) and (2) of this rule shall not apply if it is proved that the damage
resulted from an act or omission of the servant or agent done with intent to cause damage or recklessly
and with knowledge that damage would probably result.
27. (1) Receipt by the person entitled to delivery of baggage or cargo without complaint is prima
facie evidence that the same has been delivered in good condition and in accordance with the document of
carriage.
(2) In the case of damage, the person entitled to delivery must complain to the carrier forthwith after
the discovery of the damage, and at the latest, within seven days from the date of receipt in the case of
baggage and fourteen days from the date of receipt in the case of cargo. In the case of delay the complaint
must be made at the latest within twenty-one days from the date on which the baggage or cargo have been
placed at his disposal.
(3) Every complaint must be made in writing upon the document of carriage or by separate notice in
writing despatched within the times aforesaid.
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(4) Failing complaint within the times aforesaid, no action shall lie against the carrier, save in the case
of fraud on his part.
28. In the case of the death of the person liable, an action for damages lies in accordance with the
terms of these rules against those legally representing his estate.
29. (1) An action for damages must be brought, at the option of the plaintiff, in the territory of one of
the High Contracting Parties, either before the Court having jurisdiction where the carrier is ordinarily
resident, or has his principal place of business, or has an estabilishment by which the contract has been
made or before the Court having jurisdiction at the place of destination.
(2) Questions of procedure shall be governed by the law of the Court seized of the case.
30. (1) The right to damages shall be extinguished if an action is not brought within two years,
reckoned from the date of arrival at the destination, or from the date on which the aircraft ought to have
arrived, or from the date on which the carriage stopped.
(2) The method of calculating the period of limitation shall be determined by the law of the Court
seized of the case.
31. (1) In the case of carriage to be performed by various successive carriers and falling within the
definition set out in sub- rule (3) of rule 1, each carrier who accepts passengers, baggage or cargo is
subjected to the rules set out in this Schedule, and is deemed to be one of the contracting parties to the
contract of carriage in so far as the contract deals with that part of the carriage which is performed under
his supervision.
(2) In the case of carriage of this nature, the passenger or his representative can take action only
against the carrier who performed the carriage during which the accident or the delay occurred, save in
the case where, by express agreement, the first carrier has assumed liability for the whole journey.
(3) As regards baggage or cargo, the passenger or consignor will have a right of action against the
first carrier, and the passenger or consignee who is entitled to delivery will have a right of action against
the last carrier, and further, each may take action against the carrier who performed the carriage during
which the destruction, loss, damage or delay took place. These carriers will be jointly and severally liable
to the passenger or to the consignor or consignee.
CHAPTER IV
PROVISIONS RELATING TO COMBINED CARRIAGE
32. (1) In the case of combined carriage performed partly by air and partly by any other mode of
carriage, the provisions of this Schedule apply only to the carriage by air, provided that the carriage by air
falls within the terms of rule 1.
(2) Nothing in this Schedule shall prevent the parties in the case of combined carriage from inserting
in the document of air carriage conditions relating to other modes of carriage, provided that the provisions
of this Schedule are observed as regards the carriage by air.
CHAPTER V
GENERAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS
33. Any clause contained in the contract and all special agreements entered into before the damage
occurred by which the parties purport to infringe the rules laid down by this Schedule, whether by
deciding the law to be applied, or by altering the rules as to jurisdiction, shall be null and void.
Nevertheless for the carriage of cargo arbitration clauses are allowed, subject to these rules, if the
arbitration is to take place within one of the jurisdictions referred to in sub-rule (1) of rule 29.
34. Nothing contained in this Schedule shall prevent the carrier either from refusing to enter into any
contract of carriage, or from making regulations which do not conflict with the provisions of this
Schedule.
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35. The provisions of rules 3 to 9 (inclusive) relating to documents of carriage shall not apply in the
case of carriage performed in extraordinary circumstances outside the normal scope of an air carrier’s
business.
36. The expression “days” when used in these rules means current days, not working days.