Air Waybill Data Worksheet for Shippers

No. An air waybill is issued by the airline or an authorised cargo agent on the carrier's document stock. The shipper supplies the information — normally through a shipper's letter of instruction — and the carrier or agent completes and issues the document. This worksheet prepares those particulars and lets you check what is issued.

No, and this is the fundamental difference from a negotiable Bill of Lading. An air waybill cannot be endorsed or transferred, and cargo is delivered to the named consignee on identification rather than against surrender of a document. Air shipments therefore cannot be secured through the transport document, which shapes how payment terms for air freight are structured.

Conventionally three: one for the issuing carrier, one that travels with the cargo for the consignee, and one retained by the shipper as evidence of tender. Additional copies are produced for agents, handlers and customs, but they are copies rather than originals.

Declared value for carriage sets the carrier's liability ceiling — declaring above the default attracts a valuation charge and raises the limit. Declared value for customs supports the import entry and should reflect the transaction value. They serve different audiences and are frequently different numbers; both boxes appear on the AWB and both should be completed deliberately.

No Value Declared. It means the shipper has not declared a value for carriage, so the carrier's liability is limited by the applicable convention rather than by a declared amount. Under the Montreal Convention the cargo limit is expressed in Special Drawing Rights per kilogram and is periodically revised — which means a light, high-value shipment can be severely under-covered by default. Rely on cargo insurance rather than carrier liability.

Gross weight is what the shipment physically weighs including packaging. Chargeable weight is the billing figure — the greater of gross weight and volumetric weight, where volumetric weight is derived by dividing the cubic dimensions by the applicable divisor, typically 6,000 for general air cargo. Both appear in separate boxes, and the charges are computed on the chargeable figure.

The shipper's written instruction to the forwarder or cargo agent authorising it to prepare the air waybill and handle the export. It records the parties, routing, pieces and weights, declared values, special handling requirements and any documents attached. It is the shipper's evidence of what it instructed, which is what matters when the issued AWB turns out to be wrong.

No. The master shows the origin forwarder as shipper and the destination agent as consignee, because it covers the consolidated consignment tendered to the airline. The house shows the actual shipper and consignee. Customs entry at destination is generally filed at house level, which is why the house document must be complete in its own right.

Anything carriers and handlers must act on: temperature requirements, dangerous goods references and the 'Cargo Aircraft Only' notation where required, live animal and perishable notations, and special stowage needs. Treat it as an operational instruction rather than a notes field — anything written there will be acted on, and anything omitted will not.

Because acceptance staff check them, customs check them, and the consignee checks them on receipt. A piece count or gross weight that differs between the AWB and the packing list is one of the most common reasons cargo is queried or refused at acceptance, and resolving it at the counter costs a flight. It is entirely avoidable by reconciling before tender.

Minor corrections are possible through the issuing carrier or agent before departure, and become progressively harder once the cargo has moved and the manifest has been filed. Changes affecting the consignee, the routing or the declared values may require the document to be cancelled and reissued. Checking before departure is much cheaper than amending afterwards.

Yes. Extracting the air waybill returns parties, routing, pieces, gross and chargeable weights, rating and charge lines as structured fields, with the MAWB number check digit validated. Grouping it with the commercial invoice and packing list compares piece counts, weights, values and descriptions across the set and reports the differences.

You can complete the browser form and download a generated PDF. Editable XLSX and DOCX starter files are also available for offline work.

The template form is designed to keep entries in the browser while you prepare the document. Review the finished file before sharing it with a carrier, customer, broker or authority.

No. This worksheet is not an Air Waybill. The airline, freight forwarder or authorized cargo agent issues the transport document and applies its tariff, security and dangerous-goods requirements.