An air waybill (AWB) is a document issued by an airline, or a freight forwarder acting as its agent, when cargo is accepted for air transport. It serves as:
A receipt confirming the carrier has received the goods described
Evidence of the contract of carriage between shipper and carrier
A set of instructions for handling, routing and delivering the cargo
Unlike a bill of lading, an air waybill is never a document of title. It cannot be bought, sold or transferred to control who collects the cargo. It names a specific consignee, and that is who the cargo is released to at destination.
When a freight forwarder consolidates cargo from several shippers onto one flight, two levels of air waybill are issued, the same structure used for sea freight bills of lading.
Master air waybill (MAWB). Issued by the airline to the freight forwarder, covering the entire consolidated shipment as one unit from origin airport to destination airport.
House air waybill (HAWB). Issued by the forwarder to each individual shipper within that consolidation, covering their specific cargo. This is the document most shippers using a forwarder actually receive.
A standard air waybill includes:
Shipper and consignee details
Departure and destination airports
A description of the goods, including weight, dimensions and piece count
The flight routing and any transshipment points
Freight charges and whether they are prepaid or collect
Special handling instructions, for example for dangerous goods or temperature-controlled cargo
Every air waybill carries a unique 11-digit AWB number, made up of a 3-digit airline prefix and an 8-digit serial number. This number is what allows a shipment to be tracked from the airline's own booking system, independently of any tracking the forwarder provides.
For consolidated shipments, the house AWB has its own separate number from the master AWB it travels under, so both numbers may be relevant depending on who you ask for tracking information.
The core difference is negotiability. A bill of lading, used for sea freight, can be issued as a negotiable document that controls who has the right to collect the cargo. An air waybill is always non-negotiable. Cargo is released directly to the named consignee, without needing to present a physical original.
This makes the air waybill process faster at destination, one reason air freight suits time-critical shipments.
The airline, or a freight forwarder acting as the airline's agent, issues the air waybill once cargo is accepted for carriage. When a forwarder consolidates shipments, the forwarder issues a house air waybill to each shipper while the airline issues a master air waybill covering the whole consolidation.
No. Unlike some types of bill of lading, an air waybill is always non-negotiable and cargo is released only to the consignee named on the document.
The AWB number can usually be entered directly on the airline's own tracking page, or given to your freight forwarder to check status. For consolidated shipments, the house AWB number is what your forwarder will need, since the master AWB covers other shippers' cargo too.
Yes. Every shipment carried by air needs an air waybill, whether it travels as a standalone shipment or as part of a consolidation.
A master air waybill is issued by the airline to the freight forwarder for an entire consolidated shipment. A house air waybill is issued by the forwarder to each individual shipper whose cargo is part of that consolidation, and is the document most shippers actually see.
On a consolidated air freight shipment, the house air waybill is the document you receive, while the master air waybill covers the whole consolidation with the airline. Knowing which number applies to your cargo saves time when you are chasing a status update.
If your shipment is time-critical, talk to our air freight team before cargo is tendered to the airline, so the AWB and its handling instructions are in order rather than being sorted out at check-in.
Our team handles complex freight every day.
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