Air Waybill (AWB) Explained: AWB Number Format, MAWB vs HAWB and AWB vs Bill of Lading

What an air waybill does

For international carriage by air, the Montreal Convention of 1999 says that an air waybill shall be delivered for cargo, or that another means of recording the carriage, such as an electronic record, may replace it if the carrier provides a cargo receipt on request. The air waybill or cargo receipt is prima facie evidence of the conclusion of the contract, of the acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of carriage, and its statements about the weight, dimensions and packing of the cargo are prima facie evidence of those facts.

The consignor makes out the air waybill in three original parts: the first, marked for the carrier, is signed by the consignor; the second, marked for the consignee, is signed by the consignor and the carrier; and the third is signed by the carrier and handed to the consignor after the cargo has been accepted. Many air waybills are now issued electronically (e-AWB) instead of on paper.

The AWB number and its check digit

IATA describes the air waybill number as 11 digits in the format 000-00000000. The first three digits are the airline prefix, which identifies the carrier and is how tracking sites find the airline; the next seven digits are the serial number; and the 11th digit is a check digit. The Australian Border Force explains the formula: divide the seven-digit serial number by 7, and the remainder is the check digit.

• Example: serial number 1234567. 1234567 ÷ 7 = 176366 remainder 5, so the check digit is 5 and the AWB number is the airline prefix followed by 12345675.
• If the remainder of the first seven digits after the prefix does not equal the last digit, the number has a typing error; check it before you send it to your buyer or bank.
• To track a shipment, use the airline that matches the prefix, or the forwarder's house air waybill number on its own tracking page.

Master and house air waybills (MAWB and HAWB)

When a freight forwarder consolidates several shippers' goods into one shipment, the airline issues one master air waybill (MAWB) to the forwarder as shipper, and the forwarder issues a house air waybill (HAWB) to each actual shipper. The MAWB number follows the airline's 11-digit format; the HAWB number is the forwarder's own reference. At destination, the forwarder's agent receives the consolidation under the MAWB and releases each consignment under its HAWB. Check which one your buyer, customs broker or bank needs, and give both numbers when you send shipping advice.

Air waybill vs bill of lading

• An order bill of lading for sea freight can be a document of title: whoever holds the endorsed originals controls the goods. An air waybill is not: the airline delivers to the consignee named on it, usually without needing any original.
• So with an air shipment on open account or payment against documents, the seller loses control of the goods once they arrive. To keep control, consign the goods to the buyer's bank with its agreement, ask for payment in advance, or use a letter of credit.
• For sea freight, the equivalent non-negotiable document is the sea waybill; see Triplicate's note on telex release, sea waybills and original bills of lading.

Air waybills under a letter of credit (UCP 600 Article 23)

Under a letter of credit subject to UCP 600, an air transport document, however named, must show the name of the carrier and be signed by the carrier or a named agent, indicate that the goods have been accepted for carriage, show the date of issuance, which is treated as the date of shipment unless there is a specific notation of the actual date of shipment, and show the airports of departure and destination stated in the credit. It must appear to be the original for consignor or shipper, even if the credit stipulates a full set of originals. Make sure the consignee, the notify party and the description match the credit exactly.