Definition
The transport document for air freight, issued by the airline or its agent, serving as the contract of carriage and receipt for the goods. Unlike an ocean bill of lading it is not a document of title — the named consignee simply collects the cargo, which suits air freight's speed. A master AWB covers the airline-to-forwarder leg while house AWBs cover each customer's shipment within a consolidation, mirroring the MBL and HBL split in sea freight.