Air Waybill (AWB): Meaning and definition

An Air Waybill is a receipt of goods issued by the carrier airline. It is a legal document that also acts as a contract between the shipper and the carrier, containing all information about the goods in transit.

There are two types of Air Waybill, namely MAWB which is Master airway bill and HAWB, which is House Airway Bill. While Master airway bill (MAWB) is issued by the main carrier of goods from freight forwarder to the destination, House Airway Bill (HAWB) is issued by the freight forwarder upon receiving the goods and for agreeing to deliver them at the destination.