Master Air Waybill (MAWB)
A Master Air Waybill (MAWB) is the air waybill issued by the airline (carrier) to the freight forwarder for a consolidated shipment. When a forwarder combines many customers' shipments into one consolidation for the airline, the airline issues a single MAWB covering the whole consolidated unit, with the forwarder as the shipper and the destination forwarder as consignee.
Each underlying shipment within the consolidation is separately documented by a House Air Waybill (HAWB) the forwarder issues to its individual customers. So the MAWB is the airline's contract with the forwarder for the bulk movement, while the HAWBs are the forwarder's contracts with the actual shippers — mirroring the master/house bill of lading structure in ocean freight. The MAWB carries the airline's standard conditions and the routing, and is the document the airline uses to carry and track the consolidated cargo.
Air consolidation runs on the master/house split: the MAWB is the airline's single contract with the forwarder for the whole consolidated load, while HAWBs cover each real shipper underneath. Understanding which document governs which relationship is essential to air-cargo documentation, liability and tracking — exactly as with master and house bills of lading at sea.
Who is named on a master air waybill?
The airline issues it with the origin forwarder as shipper and the destination forwarder as consignee, covering the consolidated shipment.
How does the MAWB relate to the HAWB?
The MAWB is the airline's contract with the forwarder for the whole consolidation; each HAWB covers an individual shipper's cargo within it.