Cargo Shortage / Missing

The count of packages received at a transit terminal or destination airport does not match the manifest list. A portion or the entirety of the shipment is temporarily unaccounted for.

What Does MSCA Mean in Air Cargo?

The status code MSCA (representing Cargo Shortage / Missing) is a standard milestone defined by the IATA Cargo Interchange Message Procedures (Cargo-IMP). It serves as a key check-in event scanned by airline personnel or cargo terminal operators. Tracking this event provides shippers and logistics providers with end-to-end visibility, ensuring that transit connections, cargo transfer, and customs clearance proceed in an orderly manner.

What to Do Next? (Consignee Advice)

Carrier-Specific Naming Quirks

Although the IATA Cargo-IMP standard prescribes the status code MSCA, different global airlines and cargo handlers often display this milestone under customized labels. Here is how major carriers translate it:

Qatar Airways calls this 'Shortage Noted', Delta Cargo terms it 'Shortage Exception', and Lufthansa shows 'Missing Cargo Piece(s)'.

Typical Next Status Milestone

In the standard lifecycle of an air freight shipment, once the cargo passes through the Cargo Shortage / Missing (MSCA) milestone, it is expected to transition into the following phase:

➡️ RCF (Found / Received) or DIS (Discrepancy Logged)