How to Track Air Cargo

Step 1: Get your AWB number

Your AWB is usually an 11-digit number (often shown with a hyphen after the third digit). Before you can track anything, locate it on one of these:

• Forwarder or broker email — subject lines and bodies often include “AWB,” “MAWB,” or “HAWB” with the digits.
• Booking or pre-alert confirmation — the number is attached when space is confirmed or cargo is accepted for build-up.
• Physical airway bill — if you have a paper copy, it is printed prominently; e-slips and PDF airway bills use the same number.

If you see both a master (MAWB) and house (HAWB) number, start with the one your forwarder told you to use for airline tracking—often the MAWB for the main carriage leg.

Step 2: Identify the carrier (first 3 digits)

The first three digits of the AWB are the IATA airline prefix. They tell you which carrier issued the waybill—for example, 176 for Emirates SkyCargo and 157 for Qatar Airways Cargo.

You do not have to memorize prefixes. Our supported airlines list doubles as a practical prefix reference: find your digits, confirm the airline, and you know which system will hold the live status.

For dedicated landing pages you can bookmark, try Emirates SkyCargo tracking, Qatar Airways Cargo tracking, or Lufthansa Cargo tracking.

Step 3: Track it with airwaybilltracker.com

Once you have the full AWB, open airwaybilltracker.com, paste the number into the tracker, and submit. We detect the prefix, normalize spacing and dashes, and route you to the correct airline tracker so you are always looking at the carrier’s own data.

You can paste with or without the hyphen; if the format looks wrong, compare against AWB number format before retrying.

What tracking statuses mean

Labels differ slightly by airline, but most air cargo journeys follow the same story. Typical meanings:

• Booked — space or routing is reserved; cargo may not be physically with the airline yet.
• Received — the carrier has custody of the shipment at origin or a handling point.
• Departed / In transit — the freight is airborne or moving between hubs and warehouses.
• Arrived — the shipment reached the import station or airport of destination.
• Delivered — released to the consignee or their agent as per the contract.
• Customs hold / On hold — clearance, documentation, or inspection is pending; your forwarder or broker is usually the fastest path to resolution.

What to do if tracking shows no results

Empty results are common right after handover. Carriers sometimes need 12–24 hours (or longer on weekends) before the first event appears. While you wait:

• Re-check the AWB for typos, missing digits, or a house bill used where the master is required.
• Confirm with your forwarder that the shipment was tendered under that exact number.
• If it stays blank beyond a full business day, ask the forwarder to verify with the airline’s cargo desk.

Pro tips

• MAWB vs HAWB — if a house bill returns nothing, try the master AWB your consolidator issued on the main leg.
• Screenshots — save status screens with timestamps; customs and insurance conversations go smoother with proof.
• Incoterms — know whether you are responsible for import clearance or delivery; tracking shows movement, not who pays fees.