Air waybill

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Air Waybill (AWB) or air consignment note refers to a receipt issued by an
international airline for goods and an evidence of the contract of carriage, but it is
not a document of title to the goods. Hence, the AWB is non-negotiable. We shall
be dealing with the term non-negotiable later.

Description
The Air Waybill (AWB) is the most important document issued by a carrier either
directly or through its authorised agent. It is a non-negotiable transport document.
It covers transport of cargo from airport to airport. By accepting a shipment an
IATA cargo agent is acting on behalf of the carrier whose air waybill is issued.
AWBs have eleven digit numbers which can be used to make bookings, check
the status of delivery, and current position of the shipment. The number consists
of:

 1. The first three digits are the airline prefix. Each airline has been
assigned a 3-digit number by IATA, so from the prefix we know which airline
has issued the document.
 2. The next seven digits are the running number/s - one number for each
consignment
 3. The last digit is what is called the check digit. It is arrived at in the
following manner:
The seven digit running numbers are divided by 7, by using a long division
calculation. The remainder becomes the check digit. That is why no AWB number
ends with a figure greater than 6. Air waybills are issued in sets of different
colours. The first three copies are classified as originals. The first original, blue in
colour, is the shipper’s copy. The second, coloured blue, is retained by the
issuing carrier. The third, coloured orange, is the consignee’s copy. A yellow copy
acts as the delivery receipt, or proof of delivery*. The other copies are all white.
There are several purposes that an air waybill serves, but its main functions are:

 Contract of Carriage. Behind every original of the AWB are conditions of

contract for carriage
 Evidence of Receipt of Goods
When the shipper delivers goods to be forwarded, he will get a receipt. The
receipt is proof that the shipment was handed over in good order and condition
and also that the shipping instructions, as contained in the Shipper's Letter of
Instructions, are acceptable. After completion, an original copy of the air waybill is
given to the shipper as evidence of the acceptance of goods and as proof of
contract of carriage

 Freight Bill
The air waybill may be used as a bill or invoice together with supporting
documents since it may indicate charges to be paid by the consignee, charges
due to the agent or the carrier. An original copy of the air waybill is used for the
carrier's accounting

 Certificate of Insurance
The air waybill may also serve as an evidence if the carrier is in a position to
insure the shipment and is requested to do so by the shipper

 Customs Declaration
Although customs authorities require various documents like a commercial
invoice, packing list, etc. the air waybill too is proof of the freight amount billed for
the goods carried and may be needed to be presented for customs clearance
The format of the air waybill has been designed by IATA and these can be used
for both domestic as well as international transportation. These are available in
two forms, viz. the airline logo equipped air waybill and the neutral air waybill.
Usually, airline air waybills are distributed to IATA cargo agents by IATA airlines.
The air waybills show:

 the carrier's name

 its head office address
 its logo
 the pre printed eleven digit air waybill number
It is also possible to complete an air waybill through a computerised system.
Agents all over the world are now using their own in-house computer systems to
issue airlines' and freight forwarders' own air waybills. IATA cargo agents usually
hold air waybills of several carriers. However, it gradually became difficult to
accommodate these pre-numbered air waybills with the printed identification in
the computer system. Therefore a neutral air waybill was created. Both types of
air waybills have the same format and layout. However, the neutral air waybill
does not bear any pre-printed individual name, head office address, logo and
serial number.

The validity of the Air Waybill

We have seen earlier that the air waybill is a contract i.e. an agreement
enforceable by law. To become a valid contract it has to be signed by the shipper
or his agent and by the carrier or its authorised agent. Although the same
individual or organisation may act on behalf of both the carrier and the shipper,
the air waybill must be signed twice one each in the respective carrier and
shipper boxes. Both signatures may be of the same person. This also implies that
the air waybill should be issued immediately upon receipt of the goods and letter
in instructions from the shipper.
As long as the air waybill is neither dated nor signed twice, the goods do not fall
within the terms of the conditions of contract and therefore the carrier will not
accept any responsibility for the goods. The validity of the air waybill and thus the
contract of carriage expires upon delivery of the shipment to the consignee (or his
authorised agent).

Responsibility for Completion

The AWB as we have seen is a contract - an agreement between the shipper and
the carrier. The agent only acts as an intermediary between the shipper and
carrier. The air waybill is also a contract of good faith. This means that the
shipper will be responsible for the accuracy and sufficiency of the details and/or
statements relating to the goods listed. The shipper shall also be liable for all the
damage suffered by the airline or any person due to irregularity, incorrectness or
incompleteness of insertions on the air waybill, even if the air waybill has been
completed by an agent or the carrier on his behalf.
When the shipper signs the AWB or issues the letter of instructions he
simultaneously confirms his agreement to the conditions of contract. ≥≥≥≥≥≥≥

Definition of the term Not Negotiable

Waybills are non-negotiable documents unlike bills of lading which are
negotiable. The words non-negotiable are printed clearly at the top of the air
waybill. This means that the air waybill is a contract for transportation only and
does not represent (the value of) merchandise mentioned in the box nature and
quantity of goods. The ocean bill of lading, if negotiated may represent (the value
of) the goods and must be endorsed by the party ultimately accepting the goods.
Although the AWB is a non-negotiable document, it can be used as a means of
payment. This can be done only through the intermediary of a bank and only
when the carriage is subject to a letter of credit. The air waybill executed
according to the terms of a letter of credit allows the shipper to present the
original of the air waybill to the bank and collect the billed value of the shipped
goods from the bank. The amount paid by the bank to the shipper will be debited
to the consignee who ordered the goods. At the destination the carrier will only
hand over the goods to the consignee on receipt of a bank release order from the
consignee's bankers.
The goods in the air consignment are consigned directly to the party
(the consignee) named in the letter of credit (L/C). Unless the goods are
consigned to a third party like the issuing bank, the importer can obtain the goods
from the carrier at destination without paying the issuing bank or the consignor.
Therefore, unless a cash payment has been received by the exporter or the
buyer's integrity is unquestionable, consigning goods directly to the importer is
risky.
For air consignment to certain destinations, it is possible to arrange payment on
a COD (cash on delivery) basis and consign the goods directly to the importer.
The goods are released to the importer only after the importer makes the
payment and complies with the instructions in the AWB.
In air freight, the exporter (the consignor) often engages a freight forwarder or
consolidator to handle the forwarding of goods. The consignor provides a
Shipper's Letter of Instructions which authorizes the forwarding agent to sign
certain documents (e.g. the AWB) on behalf of the consignor.
The AWB must indicate that the goods have been accepted for carriage, and it
must be signed or authenticated by the carrier or the named agent for or on
behalf of the carrier. The signature or authentication of the carrier must be
identified as carrier, and in the case of agent signing or authenticating, the name
and the capacity of the carrier on whose behalf the agent signs or authenticates
must be indicated.
International AWBs that contain consolidated cargo are called master air waybills
(MAWB). MAWBs have additional papers called house air waybills (HAWB).
Each HAWB contains information of each individual shipment (consignee,
contents, etc.) within the consolidation. International AWBs that are not
consolidated (only one shipment in one bill) are called simple AWBs. A house air
waybill can also be created by a freight forwarder. When the shipment is booked,
the airline issues a MAWB to the forwarder, who in turn issues their own house
air waybill to the customer.

House and Master AWBs and BLs

A freight forwarder offering a consolidation service, will issue its own air waybill or
bill of lading. From now on AWB will be used to refer to both. This is called a
Forwarder's or House AWB with its equivalent House BL. These act as contracts
of carriage between the shipper and the forwarder, who in this case becomes a
Deemed Carrier. The forwarder in turn enters into contracts with one or more
carriers, often using more than one mode of transportation. The contract of
carriage between the forwarder and carrier is called a Master Air Way Bill
( MAWB or MBL). A House Air Waybill (HAWB) or Bill of Lading (HBL) could act
as a multimodal transport document.

Air Waybill Number

The AWB number has 11 digits and 3 parts.

 The first 3 digits are the Airline Prefix

 The next 7 digits is the Serial Number of the AWB
 The last digit is the Check digit
 The check digit is derived by dividing the 7 digit Serial Number by 7.
The remainder determines the Check Digit. Example: Serial Number
8114074 divided by 7 is 1159153 remainder 3. Therefore the Serial
Number + Check Digit is 81140743.

aircargo tracking - airway bill tracking

Track your airfreight shipment by airwaybill-number. The links to the airline's websites
will open a new page. If a link does not work, please send an email using the "report a
broken link"-button to the left and the airline tracking site will be updated as soon as
possible. If you need any help regarding this site, please send an email using the
"request support" link to the left.

Aban Air K5 710

ABSA Aerolinhas Brasileiras M3 549 
ACG Air Cargo Germany 6U 730 
Adria Airways JP 165 
Aegean Airlines A3 390 
Aer Lingus Cargo EI 053 
Aero-Charter DW 187 (use format: 187-88888888)
Aeroflot SU 507 (alternate tracking site) 
Aeroflot SU 555 
Aerosvit VV 870 (alternate tracking site) 
Aeromexico Cargo AM 139 (alternate tracking site) 
Aeromexpress Cargo QO 976 
AeroUnion 6R 873
Africa West FK 858 
Air Algerie AH 124 
Air ALM LM 119 
Air Armenia QN 907 
AirAsia D7 843 
Air Astana KC 465 
Air Atlanta Icelandic CC 318 
Air Baltic BT 657 
AirBridge Cargo RU 580 
Air Canada AC 014
Air China CA 999 (more tracking) 
Air Europa Cargo UX 996 
Air France AF 057 (alternate tracking site) (from USA: Air France tracking) 
Air Greenland GL 631
Air Hong Kong LD 288 
Air India AI 098
Air Jamaica JM 201 (alternate tracking) 
Air Macau NX 675 
Air Madagascar MD 258 
Air Malawi QM 167 
Air Malta KM 643
Air Mauritius MK 239 
Air Moldova 9U 572 
Air New Zealand NZ 086 (alternate site)
Air Niugini PX 656
Air Seychelles HM 061
Air Tahiti Nui TN 244 (flight tracking only) 
Air Transat TS 649 
Alaska Airlines AS 027 (alternate site ) 
Alitalia AZ 055 (alternate site - alternate site) 
Allied Air 4W 574 (alternate site) 
American Airlines AA 001 
Amerijet International M6 810 
ANA All Nippon Cargo NH 205 (alternate site) 
Astral Aviation 8V 485 
Arrow Air JW 404
Asiana Airlines OZ 988 
Atlantic Southeast Airlines EV 862 
Atlas Air 369 5Y 
ATS Arctic Transportation Services ??? ?? 
Austrian Cargo OS 257 (see Lufthansa ) 
Avient SMJ 757 
Azerbaijan Airlines J2 771 
Biman Bangladesh BG 997
British Airways BA 125
British Midland Airways BMI BD 236 (alternate site) 
Brussels Airlines SN 082 
Bulgaria Air FB 623 
Buraq Air Transport UZ 928 (Arabic only) (alternate site)

CAL Cargo Air Lines 5C 700

Canadian Airlines Int´l CP 018
CargoItalia 002 2G 
Cargolux Airlines CV 172 
Cargolux Italia C8 356 
Caribbean Airlines BW 106 
Cathay Pacific Airways CX 160 
Cayman Airways KX 378 
Centurion Air Cargo WE 307 
China Airlines CI 297 
China Cargo Airlines CK 112 
China Eastern Airlines MU 781 
China Southern Airlines CZ 784
Cielos Airlines A2 529 
Comair OH 886 
Continental Airlines CO 005 
Copa Airlines Cargo CM 230 
Coyne Airways 7C 575 
Croatia Airlines OU 831 
Cyprus Airways CY 048
Czech Airlines OK 064 (alternate site)
Delta Air Lines DL 006 (alternate site)
DHL Aero Expreso 992 D5 
DHL Aviation/DHL Airways ER 423 
DHL Aviation / European Air Transport QY 615 
Dragonair KA 043
Egyptair MS 077
EL AL LY 114 
Emery Worldwide EB
Emirates EK 176 (alternate site) 
Estonian Air OV 960
Ethiopian Airlines ET 071 
ETIHAD Airways EY 607 
Eva Airways BR 695

Far Eastern Air Transport 265 EF 

Fedex FX 023 (alternate site) 
Finnair AY 105 
Four Star Air Cargo HK 861 (phone or mail only) 
Garuda Indonesia GA 126 
Global Aviation and Services 5S 301 (alternate site) 
Grandstar Cargo GD 800 
Great Wall Airlines IJ 989 
Gulf Air GF 072 (alternate site) 
Hainan Airlines HU 880 (Chinese)
Hong Kong Airlines N8 851 
Iberia IB 075 (alternate tracking site ) 
Icelandair FI 108 (alternate tracking site) 
Indian Airlines IC 058 
Insel Air Cargo 7I 958 
Iran Air IR 096 (alternate tracking site) 
Jade Cargo International JI 189 
Japan Air System JD 234
Japan Airlines JL 131 
JAT Airways JU 115 
Jetairfly TB 754 
Jet Airways 9W 589 
Jet Club 0J 254 
Jubba Airways 6J 
Kalitta Air K4 272 (alternate site USA Import *)
KD Avia KD 093 
Kenya Airways KQ 706 
Kingfisher Airlines IT 090 * (alternate: Virgin Atlantic) 
Kingfisher Airlines IT 090 with login, IE only - User-ID: GUEST, Password: guest
KLM Cargo KL 074 (alternate site) 
KLM Cargo for US-Customers 
Korean Air KE 180 (alternate site)
Kuwait Airways KU 229
LACSA Airlines of Costa Rica LR 133
LAN Cargo LA 045 (alternate: track multiple airwaybills) 
Lauda Air NG 231
Leaderjet 1A 790 
LIAT Airlines LI 140 
Libyan Airlines LN 148 
LOT Polish Airlines LO 080
LTU Leisure Cargo LT 266
Lufthansa Cargo AG LH 020 
Malaysian Airline System MH 232 (alternate site) 
MALEV Hungarian Airlines MA 182 
Mandarin Airlines AE 803 
Mario's Air M2 552 
Martinair Cargo MP 129 
Mexicana MX 132 
MNG Airlines MB 716 
MASAir MY 865
Middle East Airlines ME 076

 National Air Cargo N8 416 (multiple AWB tracking) 

Nippon Cargo Airlines KZ 933 
Northern Air Cargo NC 345 
(Northwest Airlines) Delta Air Lines NW 012 (alternate site) (more tracking) 
Olympic Airways OA 050
Pakistan Int´l Airlines PK 214 
Philippine Airlines PR 079
Polar Air Cargo PO 403 
Pronto Airways ?? ??? 
Qantas Airways QF 081
Qatar Airways QR 157 
Royal Air Maroc AT 147
Royal Brunei Airlines BI 672 
Royal Jordanian RJ 512 
SAC South American Airways S6 817 
SAS-Scandinavian Airlines System SK 117 
SATA Air Acores SP 737 
Saudi Arabian Airlines SV 065 (more tracking - more tracking) 
Shandong Airlines SC 324 (Chinese) 
Shanghai Airlines FM 774
Shanghai Airlines Cargo F4 825 
Shenzhen Airlines ZH 479 (Chinese) 
Siberia Airlines 421 S7 
Sichuan Airlines 3U 876 
Silk Way Airlines 463 ZP 
Singapore Airlines SQ 618
Sky West Airlines OO 302 
South African Airways SA 083 
Southwest Airlines WN 526 
SriLankan Cargo 603 UL 
Starlight Airlines QP 321 
Swiss LX 724 
Syrian Arab Airlines RB 070

 TAAG-Angola Airlines DT 118 

TACA TA 202 
TAM Brazilian Airlines JJ 957 (international tracking) 
Tampa Airlines QT 729
TAP Air Portugal 047 TP 
Tarom 281 RO 
Thai Airways TG 217 (alternate site) 
Thomson Airways BY 754 
TNT Airways 3V 163
Trans American Airways/TACA Peru T0 530 
Trans Mediterranean Airways TL 270
Tunisair TU 199 * 
Turkish Airlines TK 235
Ukraine Int´l Airlines PS 566 
Uni Airways B7 525 
United Airlines Cargo UA 016
UPS Air Cargo 5X 406 
USAirways US 037
VARIG RG 042/183 
Vensecar Internacional V4 946 
Vietnam Airlines VN 738
Virgin Atlantic VS 932 
Xiamen Airlines MF 731 
Yangtze River Express Airlines Y8 871
Yemenia Yemen Airways IY 635