What does MAWB stand for?

MAWB stands for Master Air Waybill, the main air waybill that the airline (carrier) issues to the freight forwarder for an air cargo shipment. The MAWB is both the transport contract and the receipt of goods, and it covers the entire consolidated shipment on one flight. It follows IATA rules.

On This Page

1. MAWB vs HAWB: the difference
2. MAWB vs Bill of Lading
3. Where it fits for road freight

MAWB vs HAWB: the difference

In air freight, the forwarder often groups several shipments into one consolidation:

• MAWB (Master Air Waybill): issued by the airline to the forwarder, for the whole consolidated shipment.
• HAWB (House Air Waybill): issued by the forwarder to each individual shipper, one per sub-shipment.

A single MAWB therefore points to several HAWBs that together document the individual parts of a consolidated shipment.

MAWB vs Bill of Lading

The MAWB is the air-freight counterpart of the Bill of Lading (B/L) in sea freight. One key difference: an air waybill is not a document of title, so it does not confer ownership of the goods and is not negotiable. A Bill of Lading, by contrast, can be issued as a negotiable document.

Where it fits for road freight

MAWB and HAWB belong to air freight. In road freight, the CMR consignment note plays the comparable role as the transport document. IMPARGO focuses on road freight: in the Orders module, transport documents such as the CMR can be generated digitally and shared with the order.