Key takeaways
- An AWB number is a 3-digit airline prefix plus an 8-digit serial whose last digit is a modulus 7 check digit.
- The prefix tells you which airline's tracking page to use; the lookup above and the prefix table below map common prefixes to each airline's official tracking page.
- A forwarder's house AWB (HAWB) is tracked on the forwarder's system, not the airline's.
- Status codes such as RCS, MAN, DEP, RCF, NFD and DLV follow IATA cargo messaging standards.
- "No information" usually means the shipment is not yet in the airline's system, the number was mistyped or it is a house number.
What does an AWB number look like?
An air waybill number has 11 digits: a 3-digit airline prefix, followed by an 8-digit serial number whose last digit is a check digit.
It is usually written as XXX-XXXXXXXX, for example 020-12345675. IATA's own AWB validation guidance describes the format as "000-00000000" and confirms that the final digit is calculated with an unweighted modulus 7 check. If you want the background on what the document itself does, read our guide to the air waybill (AWB) and its fields.
| Part | Digits | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airline prefix | 1 to 3 | 020 | The issuing airline (IATA cargo prefix) |
| Serial number | 4 to 10 | 1234567 | The airline's running document number |
| Check digit | 11 | 5 | The remainder of the 7-digit serial divided by 7 |
The check digit is simple arithmetic. Australian Border Force's published formula uses the same example: 1,234,567 divided by 7 is 176,366 with a remainder of 5, so 5 is the check digit. If you calculate a different last digit from the one on your paperwork, the number has been copied wrong, and no tracking system will find it.
How do you find the airline from the AWB prefix?
The first three digits are the airline's IATA-assigned cargo prefix, so they tell you exactly whose tracking page to use.
Some common examples are 020 for Lufthansa Cargo, 176 for Emirates and 618 for Singapore Airlines; the table below lists the prefixes of major cargo airlines with links to their official tracking pages. IATA holds the complete master list in its Airline Coding Directory, which is a subscription product. Other ways to identify the carrier:
- Check the airline's cargo website. Most show their own prefix on the tracking page or prefill it in the search box.
- Use a multi-airline tracking portal. Cargo community systems and booking platforms read the prefix and route the query to the right airline automatically.
- Look at the AWB itself. The issuing carrier's name is printed next to the number on the air waybill and on the airport labels.
AWB prefix list: major cargo airlines
51 airline prefixes, each checked against the sources listed at the end of this page. The links open each airline's own tracking page; Jumbo Air Cargo does not display tracking results for other carriers' shipments.
Note that the prefix is the airline that issued the AWB. Your cargo may fly on a partner carrier or be trucked for part of the journey, but the issuing airline's system still holds the tracking history.
How do you track an air waybill step by step?
Identify the airline from the prefix, enter all 11 digits on its cargo tracking page, and read the latest status event and location.
- Get the right number. Ask your shipper or forwarder for the master AWB (MAWB) number, not an invoice or booking reference.
- Clean it up. Remove spaces and letters. Most sites accept the number with or without the hyphen after the prefix.
- Pick the tracking site. Go to the issuing airline's cargo tracking page, or use a multi-airline portal that covers that carrier.
- Read the latest event. Each line shows a status code, a station (3-letter airport code), a date and time, and usually the pieces and weight involved.
- Compare pieces and weight. If the event shows fewer pieces than were booked, part of the shipment may be on a later flight.
- Check the destination steps. Arrival is not the end. Customs clearance and the handling agent's release come after the flight lands.
The lookup at the top of this page does the first three steps for you: it checks the check digit, names the issuing airline and links to that airline's official tracking page.
Should you track the master or the house AWB?
Track the master AWB with the airline and the house AWB with the forwarder that issued it.
When a forwarder consolidates several customers' goods, the airline issues one master air waybill for the whole consolidation, and the forwarder issues each customer a house air waybill (HAWB). The airline has no record of the house number.
| Master AWB (MAWB) | House AWB (HAWB) | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | The airline or its agent | The freight forwarder |
| Format | 11 digits with an airline prefix | The forwarder's own format, often with letters |
| Where to track | Airline cargo site or multi-airline portal | Forwarder's portal or customer service |
| What it shows | Flight milestones for the whole consolidation | Your goods, including pickup, consolidation and final delivery |
For a fuller comparison, see HAWB vs MAWB: house and master air waybills. If you only have a house number, ask the forwarder for the master AWB it sits under. With both numbers you can follow the flight on the airline's site and the door-to-door steps on the forwarder's.
What do air cargo tracking status codes mean?
They are standard event codes from IATA's cargo messaging (the Cargo-IMP FSU status update message and its Cargo-XML successor), so most airlines use the same three-letter codes.
| Code | Name | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| BKD | Booked | Space is booked on a specific flight and date |
| FOH | Freight on hand | Cargo is at the airline's terminal but not yet accepted as ready for carriage |
| RCS | Received from shipper | The airline has physically accepted the cargo from the shipper or forwarder |
| PRE | Prepared for loading | Cargo has been built up for a specific flight |
| MAN | Manifested | Cargo is on the flight manifest for a specific flight |
| DEP | Departed | Cargo has left this station on the named flight |
| ARR | Arrived | The flight carrying the cargo has arrived at this station |
| RCF | Received from flight | Cargo has been unloaded and checked into the warehouse |
| TFD / RCT | Transferred / received from carrier | Cargo has been handed to or received from another airline |
| NFD | Notified of arrival | The consignee or its agent has been told the cargo has arrived |
| AWD | Arrival documents delivered | The arrival paperwork has been handed to the consignee or agent |
| DLV | Delivered | The cargo has been released to the consignee or its agent |
| DIS | Discrepancy | Something does not match, such as missing pieces, damage or a documentation error |
A normal journey reads BKD, RCS, MAN, DEP, ARR, RCF, NFD, then DLV, with extra DEP, ARR and RCF lines at each transit hub. Wording varies slightly between airlines, so check the carrier's own legend if a status affects a claim or a delivery decision.
Why does AWB tracking show no information?
Usually because the airline has not received the shipment data yet, the number has a typo, or it is a house number the airline cannot see.
- Not yet in the system. Before the forwarder sends the electronic AWB data or the airline accepts the cargo, there may be nothing to show. Allow a few hours after booking and check again after cargo is tendered.
- Typing errors. A transposed digit fails the check-digit test. Recalculate it: the last digit should equal the 7-digit serial's remainder when divided by 7.
- Wrong prefix or airline. Searching an Emirates number on another airline's site returns nothing. Match the prefix to the issuing carrier.
- House AWB. Forwarder numbers do not exist in airline systems. Ask for the master AWB.
- Express shipment. Courier waybills are tracked on the courier's own site, not by airline prefix.
What should you do if your shipment looks stuck?
Read the last status and its station, then contact whoever can act at that point: the forwarder before departure, the airline in transit, and the handling agent or customs broker after arrival.
- Stuck at RCS or FOH: the cargo may be waiting for screening, documents or space. Ask the forwarder whether it was offloaded or rebooked.
- MAN with no DEP: the cargo may have been offloaded at the last minute because of weight, space or a document problem. Check whether a new flight has been booked.
- Partial pieces: a split shipment is common on busy lanes. Confirm when the remaining pieces will fly.
- RCF or NFD for days: the cargo has landed and is usually waiting on customs clearance, duties, a delivery order or collection by the consignee's agent.
- DIS: ask the airline for the discrepancy details right away. Damage and shortage claims have strict notice deadlines.
Most delays after arrival are paperwork, not flights. Accurate goods descriptions, matching piece counts and complete consignee details prevent many holds. For general cargo booked through our JumboGeneral service, we follow up on these steps for you. If timing is critical, compare expected door-to-door times before you book in our air freight vs sea freight guide, and check that your carton dimensions make sense with the chargeable weight calculator.
Sources
- IATA DG AutoCheck: Air Waybill number validation
- Australian Border Force: Airway bill check digit formula
- IATA: Cargo-XML messaging standard
- Flaks: What is the FSU message? Air cargo status codes
- IATA: Airline Coding Directory
- Ethiopian Cargo & Logistics Services: SPA partner carriers list (carrier, IATA code, prefix, country)
- Delta Cargo: deltacargo.com user guide (006 prefix auto-populated)
- United Cargo: track page (AWB format 016-12345678)
- UPS Air Cargo: tracking page (AWB prefix field defaults to 406)
- FedEx: International Premium freight (FedEx IATA (023) Air Waybill)
- Atlas Air: TACT Rules carrier pages, 'Atlas Air, Inc. (5Y/369)'
- Cargolux: Track and Trace (valid prefixes 172 or 356)
- Turkish Cargo: FAQ (AWB number 235 XXXX XXXX)
- Ethiopian Airlines: worldwide contacts (AWB without the first three-digit code 071)
- Silk Way West Airlines: home page shipment tracking form (prefix 501)
- Kalitta Air: Track Cargo (Cargo Network Manager tracker embedded on kalittaair.com, example 272-12345678)
- Air France KLM Martinair Cargo: developer portal, Cargo Tracking API GET /awbs/{awb} (057 or 074 prefix)
- Swiss WorldCargo: US Customs ACAS FAQ (FWB example 724-12344321)
- Etihad Cargo: ACI customs requirements guidance (FHL example MBI/607-29698325)
- Emirates SkyCargo: e-SkyCargo user guide (AWB example 17602776292)
- China Airlines: CCNet training manual (default prefix 297)
- ANA Cargo: eSPICA operation manual (carrier code 205, AWB 205-12345678)
- Nippon Cargo Airlines: company profile (airline code number 933)
- Korean Air Cargo: booking guide (prefix 180 AWB)
- Polar Air Cargo: home page tracking form (prefix 403)