Air Waybill (AWB): Fields, MAWB vs HAWB and L/C Rules

Air waybill explained: what the AWB proves, its fields, MAWB vs HAWB, chargeable weight, why it is not a title document, and UCP 600 and Montreal rules.

Air freight carries a small share of world trade by weight but a large share by value: medicines, spare parts, fashion, electronics, perishables with a short life. All of it moves under an air waybill. For an exporter used to sea freight, the air waybill looks like a bill of lading with different boxes, but it works very differently: it is not a document of title, and the airline will hand the goods to the consignee whether or not you have been paid.

In this lesson you will learn what the air waybill proves, how its originals are split, the difference between master and house air waybills, how to read and fill in each field, how chargeable weight is calculated, how to protect payment when the transport document gives you no control, what banks check under UCP 600 and how liability and claims work under the Montreal Convention.

What is an air waybill?

An air waybill (AWB) is the transport document of international air cargo. Under the Montreal Convention of 1999, which governs most international air carriage today (the older Warsaw system still applies on some routes), it is:

• evidence of the contract of carriage, of the acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of carriage;
• a receipt for the goods, with prima facie evidence of their weight, dimensions, packing and number of packages.

It is not a document of title. It is always non-negotiable, cannot be endorsed to transfer the goods, and the airline delivers to the consignee named on it once the goods arrive, on proof of identity and payment of any charges collect. The Convention also allows the AWB to be replaced by an electronic record; the e-AWB is now the norm on many routes.

Who issues it, and what happens to the three originals?

Legally, the consignor (shipper) makes out the air waybill and is responsible for the correctness of the particulars it gives; in practice the airline or its IATA cargo agent — often your forwarder — prepares it from your shipping instructions and packing list. The Convention provides three original parts:

Additional copies serve the airport of destination, the agent and others. The shipper's original matters: under the Convention, the consignor can redirect or stop the goods (right of disposition) as long as the consignee has not taken them, but the carrier may require the shipper's part of the AWB to do so.

Master and house air waybills

Most exporters ship through forwarders who consolidate several shipments under one airline document.

The AWB number starts with the airline prefix (for example 057 for Air France); the last digit of the serial is a check digit. Tracking uses this number.

The fields of an air waybill

Dangerous goods also need a shipper's declaration under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations; see dangerous goods.

How is chargeable weight calculated?

Airlines charge on the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. With the common IATA factor of 6,000 cm³ per kg, the volumetric weight of a package is length x width x height in centimetres divided by 6,000 (one cubic metre equals about 166.67 kg). Accurate dimensions on the packing list are therefore as important as weights.

Worked example: leather handbags from Algiers to Paris

An Algiers leather workshop sells 420 handbags to a Paris boutique chain for EUR 42,000.00, FCA Algiers Airport, Incoterms® 2020. The buyer's forwarder books the flight. Payment is by a letter of credit at sight that requires an 'air transport document consigned to the issuing bank, marked freight collect, notify applicant'.

The forwarder issues the house AWB on 9 April 2026 and hands the original for the shipper to the workshop, which presents it with the invoice and packing list. When the bank has paid or obtained the buyer's reimbursement, it issues a release letter allowing the buyer to collect the goods at the airport.

The air waybill under a letter of credit

UCP 600 article 23 accepts an air transport document, however named, that:

• indicates the name of the carrier and is signed by the carrier or a named agent for it;
• indicates that the goods have been accepted for carriage;
• indicates a date of issuance, which is deemed the date of shipment unless the document contains a specific notation of the actual date of shipment; flight number and date shown in boxes for routing are not treated as that notation;
• shows the airport of departure and of destination stated in the credit;
• is the original for consignor or shipper, even if the credit asks for a full set;
• contains the terms of carriage or refers to them.

Consignee and notify party must comply with the credit, and the 21-day presentation rule of article 14(c) applies. Read more in letters of credit explained.

Liability and claims under the Montreal Convention

The airline's liability for loss, damage or delay of cargo is limited per kilogram, in Special Drawing Rights. The limit is reviewed every five years; since 28 December 2024 it is 26 SDR per kilogram. If the goods are worth more per kilogram, make a special declaration of value for carriage on the AWB (and pay a supplementary charge), or — usually cheaper — buy cargo insurance.

Written complaints must be made within 14 days of receipt for damage and 21 days for delay; actions must be brought within two years. Note damage on the delivery receipt at the airport, and keep the original AWB, the packing list and photographs.

Common mistakes

• Naming the buyer as consignee when payment depends on the documents.
• Using estimated dimensions, then paying volumetric surcharges at the airport.
• A gross weight or piece count different from the packing list and invoice.
• Taking the flight date in the routing box as the shipment date for credit purposes.
• Shipping high-value goods with 'NVD' and no cargo insurance.
• Forgetting the shipper's declaration or proper labels for lithium batteries and other dangerous goods.
• Comparing the AWB with a bill of lading and expecting the same control over the goods.