AWB
An Air Waybill (AWB) is the standard transport document for international air cargo. Unlike an ocean Bill of Lading, an AWB is not a document of title — it is a contract of carriage and a cargo receipt, but the goods are released at destination based on identification of the named consignee, not surrender of the document.
Each AWB is identified by an 11-digit number: the first 3 digits are the airline prefix (e.g., 057 for Air France, 020 for Lufthansa), followed by 8 digits as the unique serial. The format is standardised by IATA.
The modern electronic equivalent is the e-AWB, replacing the paper original. The IATA e-AWB program aims to eliminate the paper AWB across the industry. House Air Waybills (HAWB) are issued by freight forwarders to their underlying shippers, parallel to the Master Air Waybill (MAWB) issued by the airline.
A crucial difference from ocean shipping: an AWB is not a document of title. Cargo is released to the named consignee on identification, not against surrender of the original. That changes how air trade is financed — you cannot control payment by holding the AWB the way you can with a negotiable Bill of Lading.
(3 digits)
(8 digits)
The AWB number 057-12345675 breaks down as 057 (Air France's IATA prefix) and 12345675 (the unique serial, whose final digit is a modulo-7 check digit). A forwarder's HAWB sits under the airline's MAWB, just as an ocean HBL sits under an MBL.
Is an Air Waybill a document of title?
No. Unlike a negotiable ocean Bill of Lading, an AWB is a receipt and contract of carriage only — cargo is released to the named consignee on identification, not by surrendering the document.
What is the difference between HAWB and MAWB?
A House AWB (HAWB) is issued by a freight forwarder to its shipper; a Master AWB (MAWB) is issued by the airline to the forwarder — many HAWBs can sit under one MAWB.