What does AWB status RCS mean?

RCS stands for 'Received from Shipper'. It indicates that the cargo has been physically received by the airline carrier at the origin airport, verified, and officially accepted into their system for carriage.

What is the difference between RCS and RCF status on an airway bill?

RCS (Received from Shipper) happens at the departure airport when the cargo is checked in by the airline. RCF (Received from Flight) occurs at the destination or transit airport when the cargo has landed and has been unloaded and checked in from the arriving flight.

What does AWB status NFD mean?

NFD stands for 'Notify Party'. It means the cargo has arrived at the destination airport, has been processed, and the consignee or the designated notify party has been officially informed that the cargo is ready for customs clearance and collection.

What does DLV mean on cargo tracking?

DLV stands for 'Delivered'. This is the final milestone in air cargo tracking, indicating that the shipment has been cleared by customs and officially picked up by or delivered to the consignee or their authorized customs broker/delivery agent.

Air Cargo Status Code Glossary

Decode standard IATA milestone tracking codes on your air waybill (AWB). Translate flight, handling, and delivery statuses instantly.

IATA Code	Status Name	Milestone Group	Description & Meaning
RCS	Received from Shipper	Airport Handling	The airline has physically received the cargo from the shipper or forwarder at the origin airport and officially accepted it for shipment.
DEP	Departed	Flight Transit	The flight carrying the cargo has taken off from the departure airport.
ARR	Arrived	Flight Transit	The flight carrying the cargo has landed at the arrival airport.
RCF	Received from Flight	Flight Transit	The cargo has been unloaded from the aircraft, checked in, and received at the airline's terminal at destination or transit point.
NFD	Notify Party	Destination	The consignee or customs broker has been officially notified that the cargo has arrived and is ready for clearance and collection.
DLV	Delivered	Final Delivery	The final step. Cargo has been cleared by customs and officially picked up by or delivered to the consignee or their agent.
BKD	Booked	Booking & Origin	Space has been reserved for the cargo on a specific flight schedule.
PRE	Prepared	Booking & Origin	The air waybill documentation has been prepared and booking records are confirmed.
MAN	Manifested	Airport Handling	The cargo has been added to the flight cargo manifest and is scheduled for loading on the aircraft.
AWD	Documents Delivered	Destination	The physical shipping documents (AWB, commercial invoice, packing list) have been delivered to the consignee or their broker.
AWR	Documents Received	Destination	The airline destination office has received the paper documentation package from the inbound flight.
TFD	Transferred	Flight Transit	The cargo has been transferred to another airline carrier or handling agent for an onward connecting flight.
RCT	Received from Transfer	Airport Handling	Cargo has been received from an interline transfer airline carrier at a transit airport.
OFDL	Out for Delivery	Final Delivery	The shipment has been loaded onto a local delivery truck or delivery vehicle for final import transport.
DDU	Customs Clearance	Destination	The cargo is currently being held at destination customs for import clearance procedures.
CCD	Clearance Completed	Destination	Import customs authorities have approved and cleared the cargo for official release and import.
DIS	Discrepancy	Exceptions	An issue or mismatch in cargo weight, dimensions, packaging, or piece count was reported during cargo handling.
MSCA	Missing Cargo	Exceptions	Part of or the entire shipment cannot be located at the carrier terminal or during transfer.
FDCA	Found Cargo	Exceptions	Shipment items previously reported as missing (MSCA) have been found and returned to regular handling.

Key Milestones Explained

RCS vs RCF: What is the difference?

These are two of the most common cargo statuses. RCS (Received from Shipper) represents the initial drop-off at the origin airport and acceptance into the carrier's possession. RCF (Received from Flight) represents arrival and unloading at a transit point or the final destination airport, meaning the physical plane has landed and ground staff are checking the cargo in.

What happens after NFD (Notify)?

Once your AWB shows NFD, it indicates the airline has sent out arrival notices. Shippers or brokers must act quickly to submit customs entries, pay local handling fees, and arrange import clearance. The next statuses typically move to DDU (Customs Clearance), followed by CCD (Clearance Completed), and finally DLV (Delivered) upon pick-up.

AWB Status Code FAQ

To track your cargo status, enter your 11-digit AWB number on the Air Waybill Tracker homepage. Our platform automatically redirects you to the official cargo tracking system of your airline, where you will see one of these standard status codes.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) establishes standards for global airlines to communicate cargo statuses using standardized 3 or 4-letter abbreviations. This enables shippers, logistics portals, and customs offices to share milestone tracking data uniformly without language barriers.

A discrepancy status indicates that physical cargo checks did not match the waybill documents. This could be due to weight differences, missing boxes, damaged packaging, or cargo documentation issues. If you notice a DIS status, contact your freight forwarder or the airline cargo office to resolve it.