The air waybill (AWB) — sometimes called an airway bill or air consignment note — is the contract of carriage and primary tracking document for all air freight shipments. Just as a bill of lading governs sea freight, the AWB governs the relationship between the airline (or freight forwarder) and the shipper when cargo moves by air.
AWB vs B/L — Key Differences
Unlike a sea freight bill of lading, an air waybill is non-negotiable — it is never a document of title. This means the consignee named on the AWB can collect the goods simply by proving their identity; no original document needs to be physically surrendered. This makes air freight faster to release at destination than ocean freight using original B/Ls. The trade-off is that AWBs offer less protection for payment security — Letters of Credit in air freight work differently than in sea freight.
AWB Number Format — How to Read It
An AWB number has a standardised format: a 3-digit airline prefix, a hyphen, and 8 digits (e.g. 176-12345678). The 3-digit prefix is the IATA airline code assigned to the carrier. Common prefixes: 001 (American Airlines Cargo), 020 (Lufthansa Cargo), 057 (Air France Cargo), 125 (British Airways World Cargo), 157 (Qatar Airways Cargo), 172 (Cargolux), 176 (Emirates SkyCargo), 235 (Turkish Cargo). The 8-digit serial number uniquely identifies the shipment within that airline's system.
Master AWB (MAWB) vs House AWB (HAWB)
A Master AWB is issued by the airline to the freight forwarder. A House AWB is issued by the forwarder to the actual shipper. When a forwarder consolidates multiple small shipments (groupage) into one ULD (Unit Load Device — a pallet or container used on aircraft), there is one MAWB covering the whole ULD and individual HAWBs for each shipper. For airline tracking, always use the MAWB number. Your forwarder tracks the HAWB.
What Information Is on an AWB?
A standard AWB contains: shipper and consignee details, origin and destination airport codes, airline and flight number, number of pieces, gross weight and chargeable weight, commodity description, declared value for customs, freight charges (prepaid or collect), and special handling instructions (e.g. dangerous goods, perishables, temperature-controlled). The AWB number is printed prominently and also encoded as a barcode on the label.
How to Track Your Air Freight Using the AWB on Trackora
Enter your MAWB number in the format NNN-NNNNNNNN (3-digit prefix, hyphen, 8 digits) in the Trackora search box. Trackora identifies the airline from the prefix and retrieves the flight-level event history — accepted, departed, arrived, customs released, delivered to consignee. Supported airlines include Emirates SkyCargo (176), Lufthansa Cargo (020), Qatar Airways Cargo (157), Turkish Cargo (235), Cargolux (172), Air France Cargo (057), and many more.
Air Freight Transit Times to Expect
Air freight is typically 1–5 days door-to-door depending on the route, airline, and customs. Express services (e.g. Emirates SkyCargo Priority) deliver in 24–48 hours. Standard air freight is 3–5 days. Add 1–3 days for customs clearance at destination, especially for commercial shipments requiring import permits or inspections. Total door-to-door for most air freight lanes: 3–7 business days.