This part establishes registration procedures and operating rules for foreign air carriers that engage indirectly in interstate or foreign air transportation of property. It relieves these carriers from certain provisions of Subtitle VII of Title 49 of the United States Code (Transportation), and establishes simplified reports for them.

This part applies to interstate air transportation of property and to foreign air transportation of property outbound from the United States by foreign indirect air carriers. It also applies to applications for registration as a foreign indirect air carrier of property.

For purpose of this part:

(a) Foreign air freight forwarder means a foreign indirect air carrier that is responsible for the transportation of property from the point of receipt to point of destination, and utilizes for the whole or any part of such transportation the services of a direct air carrier or its agent, of another foreign indirect cargo air carrier as defined in part 296 of this chapter.

(b) Foreign cooperative shippers association means a bona fide association of shippers operating as a foreign indirect air carrier on a nonprofit basis that undertakes to ship property by air for the account of such association or its members, and utilizes for the whole or any part of such transportation the services of a direct air carrier or its agent, of a foreign indirect cargo air carrier as defined in part 296 of this chapter.

(c) Direct air carrier means an air carrier or foreign air carrier directly engaged in the operation of aircraft under a certificate, regulation, order, or permit issued by the Department of Transportation or the Civil Aeronautics Board.

(d) Foreign indirect air carrier means any person, not a citizen of the United States, who undertakes indirectly to engage in the air transportation of property.

Nothing in this part shall preclude joint loading, meaning the pooling of shipments and their delivery to a direct air carrier for transportation as one shipment, under an agreement between two or more indirect air carriers or foreign indirect air carriers.

A foreign air freight forwarder may act as agent of a shipper, or of a direct air carrier that has authorized such agency, if it expressly reserves the option to do so when the shipment is accepted. A foreign air freight forwarder shall not act as the agent of any direct air carrier with respect to shipments accepted for forwarding.

A foreign cooperative shippers association may act as agent of a shipper, or of a direct air carrier that has authorized such agency, if it expressly reserves the option to do so when the shipment is accepted. A cooperative shippers association shall not act as an agent of any direct air carrier with respect to shipments accepted in its capacity as an indirect air carrier.