When you ship cargo by air, you will encounter two types of tracking numbers: the MAWB (Master Air Waybill) and the HAWB (House Air Waybill). Understanding the difference is essential for tracking your shipment accurately — and knowing which number to hand to customs or your destination agent.
What Is a MAWB (Master Air Waybill)?
A Master Air Waybill is issued by the airline itself — or by a ground handling agent on behalf of the airline — to the freight forwarder. It represents the contract of carriage between the airline and the freight forwarder. The MAWB format is standardised: a 3-digit airline prefix, a hyphen, and 8 digits (e.g. 176-12345678, where 176 is the Emirates SkyCargo prefix). The MAWB is the number you use to track cargo through the airline's official system.
What Is a HAWB (House Air Waybill)?
A House Air Waybill is issued by the freight forwarder to the actual shipper (you or your supplier). It represents the contract between the forwarder and the shipper. HAWBs are used when a forwarder consolidates multiple smaller shipments into one MAWB — each individual shipment gets its own HAWB under the single MAWB. HAWB formats vary by forwarder: they may be numeric, alphanumeric, or follow the forwarder's own reference system.
Key Differences at a Glance
The MAWB is issued by the airline; the HAWB is issued by the freight forwarder. A single MAWB can cover many HAWBs (a consolidated shipment). The MAWB is the legal document for the airline; the HAWB is the legal document between forwarder and shipper. Customs document requirements depend on the shipment and jurisdiction; confirm the master and house information required with your broker. For tracking with the airline, use the MAWB. For tracking with your forwarder, use the HAWB.
Which Number Should You Use to Track?
If you want to see flight-level events (departed, arrived, customs cleared), use the MAWB. Airlines and airline tracking portals only recognise the MAWB. If you want forwarder-level updates (picked up from shipper, consolidated, delivered to consignee), use the HAWB with your freight forwarder's tracking portal.
How to Track a MAWB on Trackora
Enter your MAWB number in the standard format NNN-NNNNNNNN (3-digit prefix, hyphen, 8 digits) in the Trackora search box. Trackora can identify a likely airline from the prefix. Timeline availability depends on the active data connection and reference. For example: 176 = Emirates SkyCargo, 020 = Lufthansa Cargo, 157 = Qatar Airways Cargo, 235 = Turkish Cargo.