AWB (Air Waybill)
The non-negotiable transport document for air cargo, acting as a receipt and contract of carriage, with an 11-digit number used for tracking the shipment.
TL;DR: An Air Waybill is the transport document for air freight. It is a receipt and contract of carriage, but unlike an original Bill of Lading it is not a document of title and cannot be traded.
Every AWB is non-negotiable. The cargo is delivered to the consignee named on it, so there is no need to send paper originals to the buyer. This fits the speed of air freight, where goods often arrive in a day or two.
Each AWB has an 11-digit number. The first three digits are the airline prefix, which identifies the carrier. The remaining eight digits are the serial number. You can track the shipment on the airline’s website or on common cargo tracking sites using this number.
As with ocean freight, there are two layers when a forwarder is involved. The Master Air Waybill (MAWB) is issued by the airline to the forwarder, often for a consolidated load. The House Air Waybill (HAWB) is issued by the forwarder to each individual shipper. The buyer usually collects the goods from the forwarder’s destination agent under the HAWB.
Air freight is priced on actual weight or volumetric weight, whichever is higher. For heavy goods such as glass mosaic tiles, air is usually practical only for samples, small repair lots, or urgent partial shipments. Express couriers issue their own waybills. See also Air Freight, Express Courier Shipping, and MBL and HBL.