Fact Sheet - IATA Clearing House

  • Interline agreements make it possible for passengers and freight-shippers to purchase multi-sector journeys involving transportation on any number of different airlines
  • The IATA Clearing House enables the world's airlines and airline-associated companies to settle their interline billings securely, efficiently and on-time
  • ICH reduces hundreds of bilateral, multi-currency transactions to one single payable or receivable amount  
  • More than 450 airlines and associates settle their accounts on a weekly basis
  • 72% of these are settled through the netting process
    • requiring no movement of funds,
    • assuring high credit, and 
    • currency protection 
  • Each participant is able to collect its dues promptly from the ticketing airline and travel partners 
  • The IATA Clearing House settles over US$50 billion in interline and service transactions each year  
  • In 2008 the average period between interline billing transaction and its settlement was 12 days
  • IATA’s financial systems processed over US$350 billion during 2008
    • IATA Clearing House—US$50 billion
    • IATA Currency Clearing Service — US$30.5 billion
    • Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP) — US$240 billion
    • Cargo Account Settlement Systems (CASS) — US$28 billion 
    • Other – US$1.5 billion

Updated September 2009