Warsaw Convention (air)
Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules relating to International Carriage by Air (Warsaw, 1929), as amended by the Hague Protocol 1955 and Montreal Protocol No. 4
When it applies
International carriage by air where the Montreal Convention does not apply to both ends of the journey. Still live on a meaningful number of routes.
Limit
Article 22, as amended by Montreal Protocol No. 417 SDR per kilogram, the SDR-converted form of the original 250 gold francs per kilogram.
Notice of loss
Article 26Written complaint within fourteen days of receipt for cargo damage.
Time bar
Article 29Two years.
When the limit is lost
A special declaration of interest at delivery, against a supplementary charge.
What the cap pays on a sample consignment
Applying the published limit to a sample consignment of 1,000 kg gross, 10 packages, invoice value US$120,000. The consignment is an illustration chosen so the arithmetic is checkable — it is not an average, a typical shipment or a measurement.
No conversion between SDR and any currency is shown. The International Monetary Fund revalues the SDR every business day, so a converted figure printed on a page is wrong by the time it is read.
What this means for cover
A third less than Montreal for the same shipment. Which of the two governs is decided by the routing, not by the airline or the shipper.
Other air regimes
Sources
This page summarises the instruments above. It is not the wording, and it is not legal advice. Where a summary conflicts with a convention text, a policy wording or a certificate, that document governs.
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