Documentation
MAWB (Master Air Waybill)
The air waybill issued by an airline to a freight forwarder, covering an entire consolidated shipment that may contain many individual consignments.
In depth
The MAWB is the contract between the airline and the forwarder for the consolidated shipment as a whole. The forwarder is shown as shipper and its destination agent as consignee, with the underlying cargo owners appearing only on their individual house air waybills. It carries the airline's tracking number, so it is what moves through the carrier's systems. Individual shippers generally cannot claim directly against the airline under a MAWB, because they are not party to it — their remedy runs through the forwarder that issued their HAWB.
Key points
- Contract between the airline and the forwarder
- Covers the whole consolidation, not individual consignments
- Forwarder appears as shipper, its agent as consignee
- Underlying shippers are not party to it and claim via their HAWB