论国际航空货运代理人法律地位

Comments on the Legal Status of International Air Freight Forwarder

如今的国际航空货物运输实践中,货运代理人已逐渐突破了传统的定义,以代理人、缔约承运人等身份参与航空运输。不能一概将货运代理人认定为传统意义上的代理人,而应当结合航空货运单、当事人间合同的具体规定、货运代理人履行合同的实际情况、货运代理人收取合同对价的方式以及当事人的交易惯例等因素,综合判断货运代理人的身份并确定其法律责任。中国《民用航空法》规定,公共运输企业才能成为缔约承运人,这样的规定不利于明晰货运代理人的真实身份。

In the practice of international air cargo transport, the freight forwarder is likely to play both the role of traditional agent and that of contracting earrier. The freight forwarder shall not be identified as a traditional agent arbitrarily ; the legal status of freight forwarder shall be decided with reference to different factors sueh as the air waybill, the specific provisions of the contract between the parties, the freight forwarder＇ s actual performanee of the contract, the way of freight forwarder to receive the contract price and the past trade praetiee between the parties. China＇s ＂Civil Aviation＂ provides that only public transport enterprise is qualified to play the role of contracting earrier in air cargo transport; such a provision is not conducive to clarifying the aetual identity of freight forwarders.