Is an air waybill a document of title?

No. It is a receipt and evidence of the contract of carriage, and it is not negotiable. The airline delivers to the consignee named on it; holding a copy gives no right to the goods.

What is the difference between a MAWB and a HAWB?

The airline issues the master air waybill to a forwarder for a whole consolidation. The forwarder issues a house air waybill to each shipper inside it, naming the real buyer and seller.

What do the first three digits of an AWB number mean?

They are the airline's prefix, so the number shows which airline carries the cargo. The eight digits after it are the serial, the last of which is a modulus 7 check digit.

Term

Air waybill (AWB)

An air waybill (AWB) is the document that evidences the contract of carriage between a shipper and an airline, and the airline's receipt for the cargo. Unlike an order bill of lading, it is not negotiable. Each one carries an 11-digit number: a three-digit airline prefix, then a serial whose last digit is a check digit.

Also called AWB, airway bill, master air waybill, house air waybill, MAWB, HAWB, e-AWBUpdated 13 October 2026

What it does

Article 4 of the Montreal Convention says that for cargo an air waybill shall be delivered, and Article 11 makes it prima facie evidence of the contract, of the airline's acceptance of the cargo and of the conditions of carriage written on it. It is marked not negotiable: the airline delivers to the consignee it names, and the document cannot be endorsed to pass the goods to a new owner, as an order bill of lading can. IATA's conditions of contract add that the shipper guarantees payment of all charges.

Master and house

	Master AWB (MAWB)	House AWB (HAWB)
Issued by	The airline, to the forwarder	The forwarder, to each shipper
Shipper and consignee	The forwarder and its agent at destination	The real seller and buyer
Covers	The whole consolidation	One shipment inside it
Number	IATA's 11 digits	The forwarder's own — up to 12 characters in US filings

For a consolidation arriving in the US, the airline sends customs the data for the master air waybill, and the cargo details for every associated house air waybill go too — from the airline, or filed directly by another eligible party.

Worked example: checking an AWB number

Serial 1234567 ÷ 7 = 176,366, remainder 5 → check digit 5 → AWB number XXX-12345675, where XXX is the airline's three-digit prefix

IATA's standard is an 11-digit number whose last digit is an unweighted modulus 7 check; the method and this example are from the Australian Border Force. A number that fails the check was mistyped.

Paper or electronic

IATA's Resolution 672, the multilateral e-AWB agreement, removes the requirement for a paper air waybill between the airlines and forwarders that sign it. IATA last published a monthly figure of 71.3% e-AWB penetration for September 2020, and in April 2025 Brazil became the first country in the Americas to waive the physical air waybill.

The mistake people make

Leaving the particulars to the forwarder and assuming errors are the forwarder's problem. Under Article 10 the shipper is responsible for the correctness of the particulars given by it or on its behalf, and indemnifies the airline for any damage their being wrong or incomplete causes — a misdeclared weight or description is the shipper's liability.

FAQ

Air waybill (AWB): common questions

Is an air waybill a document of title?: No. It is a receipt and evidence of the contract of carriage, and it is not negotiable. The airline delivers to the consignee named on it; holding a copy gives no right to the goods.
What is the difference between a MAWB and a HAWB?: The airline issues the master air waybill to a forwarder for a whole consolidation. The forwarder issues a house air waybill to each shipper inside it, naming the real buyer and seller.
What do the first three digits of an AWB number mean?: They are the airline's prefix, so the number shows which airline carries the cargo. The eight digits after it are the serial, the last of which is a modulus 7 check digit.