What is the AWB?
Definition: Air Waybill (AWB)
When it comes to air freight, there’s one document that’s absolutely critical: the Air Waybill (or AWB, for short). The Air Waybill (AWB) is a document that accompanies all airfreight shipments.
It is important to remember: Without an Air Waybill, goods cannot be shipped as air freight – no AWB, no shipment!
An Air Waybill is defined as a critical document in international trade, issued by a carrier or via an authorized agent. It is an essential contract between the sender and the airline transporting the shipment. The AWB is also evidence for the transport contract and for the delivery of the goods.
You can think of the Air Waybill (AWB) as a boarding pass for cargo. Just like a boarding pass provides essential information about a passenger’s journey, such as the flight details, destination, and passenger information, an AWB provides critical details about the shipment. An AWB includes information such as the shipper and consignee, the origin and destination of the cargo, the flight number, and a description of the goods being transported. Additionally, just as a boarding pass ensures a passenger can board the flight and is used for tracking and verification, an AWB serves as a receipt of goods, a contract of carriage, and a tracking tool for the shipment during its journey.
The Air Waybill is actually not one document but a bundle of documents. The paper version of the AWB consists of color-coded carbon copies:
- Blue (original) for the shipper
- Green (original) for the issuing air freight carrier
- Pink (original) for the consignee
- Yellow (copy) that serves as a delivery receipt
Additionally, there are 4 extra copies in white.
eAWB, HAWB, MAWB – what’s all this about?
Since January 2019, the eAWB (electronic Air Waybill) has been introduced by IATA as the new digital standard for air cargo shipments on enabled trade lanes. It is the first major digital document in air cargo, aiming to replace traditional paper AWB. This makes logistics easier and more efficient.
The HAWB (or House Air Waybill) is issued by a freight forwarder and outlines the terms of carriage from the forwarder’s perspective. It does not create a direct contract with the airline and may or may not follow IATA rules and international air conventions.
On the other hand, the MAWB (Master Air Waybill) is issued by the airline or its authorized agent. This means that it is a contract between the shipper and the carrier. It follows IATA rules and international conventions, offering protection to the person receiving the shipment in case of loss or damage. The MAWB also includes the airline’s identification, while the HAWB is often issued on a neutral air waybill.
Key information provided by AWB
Example AWB
Here is an example AWB we issued for one of our customers for a flight out of Frankfurt with Lufthansa Cargo.
As you can see, Air Waybills include the following important details necessary to identify and transport the cargo.
- 11-digit AWB number for unique identification of the shipment. It consists of:
- 3-digit code for the airline prefix
- 7-digit serial number
- 1-digit check number
- Shipper and consignee details (name, address)
- Airport of Departure, Airport of Destination
- Flight number, airline
- Total number of packages
- Gross weight (kg or lb)
- Nature and quantity of goods
- Barcode
- Color-coded copies for carrier, consignee, and shipper plus extra copies
Benefits of an AWB
The primary benefit of an Air Waybill (AWB) when sending time-critical shipments around the world is its role as a non-negotiable, agreed-upon document that ensures the quick and efficient movement of goods because:
- AWBs serve as a receipt of goods.
- AWBs acts as a contract of carriage between the shipper and the carrier.
- AWBs provides a tracking tool for the shipment during its journey.
- AWBs streamline and standardize the shipping process and documentation
P.S. You don’t need an AWB (Air Waybill) to transport goods via Handy Carry. Our On Board Courier shipments are declared as luggage, so they go through the usual airfreight process, which makes them perfect for urgent, time-critical deliveries.