RCS — Received from Shipper

RCS stands for 'Received from Shipper' and means the airline has taken possession of the goods and the shipping contract is active. This tracking status indicates that freight was accepted by the airline and is ready to be shipped, representing the equivalent to a Cargo Receipt when using eAWB. The FSU RCS message in accordance to IATA shows that consignment physically received from a shipper or an agent.

Lufthansa Cargo receives a shipment from DHL at Frankfurt airport with AWB number 020-12345678, where 020 is the AWB prefix identifying Lufthansa Cargo as the carrier. Once Lufthansa completes acceptance checks and confirms the cargo is ready for carriage, they transmit an FSU-RCS message to the freight forwarder, updating the tracking status to RCS. Emirates SkyCargo processes a pharmaceutical shipment with AWB 176-98765432 at Dubai International Airport, sending an FSU-RCS message to confirm the temperature-sensitive goods have been accepted and are ready for transport after completing security and regulatory checks.

• RCS
• received from shipper
• ready for carriage
• accepted by airline

What does RCS mean when tracking my air cargo shipment?

RCS means 'Received from Shipper' and indicates your shipment has been physically accepted by the airline and is ready for carriage. This status confirms the shipping contract is now active and represents the electronic equivalent of a cargo receipt in eAWB systems.

When does the FSU-RCS message get sent during cargo processing?

The FSU-RCS message is transmitted after the airline completes all acceptance checks including data verification, dangerous goods screening, security validation, and weight confirmation. This typically occurs within hours of cargo delivery to the airline's facility, confirming the shipment is ready for carriage according to IATA standards.