A receipt issued by a freight forwarder for goods, functioning as a contract of carriage between the shipper and the forwarder who is considered the carrier. This document serves as proof of receipt for cargo and contains detailed information about the shipment including origin, destination, weight, and handling instructions.
In warehouse operations, HAWBs are critical for tracking consolidated shipments where multiple customers’ goods are combined onto a single aircraft. The HAWB allows individual tracking and accountability for each shipper’s portion of the consolidated load, while the Master Air Waybill (MAWB) covers the entire shipment from the airline’s perspective. Warehouse management systems must accurately link HAWBs to inventory records to ensure proper receiving, storage location assignment, and shipping verification. For example, when processing inbound air freight, warehouse staff scan HAWB numbers to automatically update inventory levels and trigger customer notifications about arrival status.
