Air Waybill (AWB)
This article covers meaning & overview of Air Waybill (AWB) from operations perspective.
What is Air Waybill (AWB)?
An Air way-bill (AWB) or an air consignment note is a receipt issued by an international airline during transport of gods from one airport to another. It is a contract of carriage of goods. In simple words, it is a documentary proof of carriage of goods. In no way it is a document to the title of goods. Therefore, an AWB is non-negotiable.
Description: An AWB consists of an 11 digit number. This number is used to make bookings, check the delivery status of consignments and track shipments. The 11 digit number consists of:
• First 3 digits- Airline prefix. Each airline has an assigned 3 digit number by the International Air transport association (IATA). These numbers help us identify the document issuing airlines
• Next 7 digits- Running numbers. There is one number for each consignment.
• Last digit-Check digit. It is arrived by dividing the 7 digit running number by 7. The remainder is the check digit. It is because of this reason that no air way-bill number ends with a number greater than 6.
AWBs are issued in 8 sets of different colours which are as follows:
• Green copy- It is the first original. It is the Issuing carrier’s copy
• Pink copy- It is the second original copy. It is the Consignee’s copy
• Blue copy- It is the third original copy. It is the Shipper’s copy
• Brown copy- It is the delivery receipt. It acts as a proof of delivery
• White copy- The remaining copies are white. One is for the agent and the others are extra copies
Functions: An AWB serves the following functions:
• It is a contract of carriage
• It acts as an evidence of receipt of goods
• It serves the purpose of a freight bill
• It can also be a certificate of insurance
• It facilitates customs declarations
Hence, this concludes the definition of Air Waybill (AWB) along with its overview.
Browse the definition and meaning of more similar terms. The Management Dictionary covers over 1800 business concepts from 5 categories.
Continue Reading:
