AWB tracking: track air cargo by air waybill number
The first three digits of an air waybill number name the airline. Enter the number below: we check it, tell you which airline issued it and open that airline's own cargo tracker.
Airlift doesn't run an airline tracking system, so the status itself is on the airline's site. If Airlift booked your air shipment, your Airlift contact has its milestones.
Find the airline for an AWB number
An AWB number has 11 digits, often written 176-12345675: a 3-digit airline prefix, then an 8-digit serial whose last digit is a check digit.
AWB prefix lookup: airline codes for air waybills
The three-digit prefix on an air waybill is the airline's IATA accounting code. Search by prefix, airline name or two-character airline code. Each prefix was checked against the airline's own site and a second source on October 6, 2026.
Airlines that carry Asia and India cargo to the US, directly or through their hubs in the Middle East, Europe and East Asia: the AWB prefix, how each tracker works and what to do when a number shows nothing.
An air waybill number has eleven digits. The first three are the airline prefix, the code IATA assigns each airline for its cargo documents. The next eight are the serial: seven digits from the airline's AWB stock and a check digit, which is the first seven taken as one number, modulo 7.
Because of the check digit, most single mistyped digits produce a number that fails the check, which is why the lookup above checks it before sending you on. It misses a digit swapped for one 7 away (0 for 7, 1 for 8, 2 for 9) and some transposed pairs, so a passing number can still be wrong.
Master AWB and house AWB
When a forwarder consolidates cargo from several shippers, the airline issues one master air waybill (MAWB) to the forwarder, and the forwarder issues each shipper a house air waybill (HAWB). The airline's tracker knows the master AWB. A house AWB carries the forwarder's own numbering, so ask the forwarder for the master AWB, or for the status.
Air shipments booked with Airlift
Airlift doesn't run its own airline tracking. The Airlift container tracker covers ocean shipments by container or Airlift house bill of lading number; it doesn't look up air waybills. If Airlift booked your air shipment, your Airlift contact has its flight milestones and can tell you where it is.
What air cargo tracking statuses mean
Airline trackers show the shipment status messages airlines exchange with forwarders and handlers. Most print the three-letter code beside a plain-language description.
Code
Status
What it means
BKD
Booked
The shipment is booked on a specific flight. Bookings can change before the cargo is accepted.
RCS
Received from shipper
The airline or its handler has received the cargo from the shipper or the forwarder and accepted it for carriage.
MAN
Manifested
The shipment is on the cargo manifest of a specific flight.
DEP
Departed
The shipment has left on that flight. On a connecting routing there is one departure per leg.
TFD
Transferred
The shipment has been handed to another airline for the next leg; that airline's tracker may show the rest.
RCT
Received from another airline
The shipment has been received from another airline for the next leg.
RCF
Received from flight
The shipment has been unloaded from a flight and checked in at the warehouse, at a transit hub or at destination.
NFD
Consignee notified
The shipment has arrived at destination and the consignee or its agent has been told it is there.
AWD
Documents delivered
The arrival documents have been handed to the consignee or its agent.
CCD
Cleared by customs
Customs has cleared the shipment.
DLV
Delivered
The airline has delivered the shipment to the consignee or its agent; for a consolidation, usually the forwarder's agent at destination.
DIS
Discrepancy
Something does not match: pieces missing or extra, damage, or missing documents. The handler records the details.
AWB tracking FAQs
Every air waybill number starts with a three-digit prefix that identifies the airline that issued it. Enter the full 11-digit number above: the lookup checks the digits, names the airline and opens its cargo tracking page, with the number filled in where the airline's site accepts it in the link. Tracking itself happens on the airline's site; this page does not hold flight or status data.
Reviewed October 2026. Prefixes and tracking links were checked on each airline's own site, with a second source for every prefix, on October 6, 2026; each airline page lists its sources, and the airlines without a page were checked against the aircargotracking.net — airline prefix list. Status codes: Cargo Community Network — FSU (status update) codes. Airline names are trademarks of their owners; Airlift USA is not affiliated with the airlines listed.
Questions about an air shipment?
Send the air waybill number, the route and what you need (the status of a shipment Airlift booked, US customs clearance on arrival, or a quote for your next air shipment), and our team will get back to you.
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