The air waybill is the most important document issued by a carrier either directly or through its authorized agent.
By accepting a shipment, an IATA cargo agent is acting on behalf of the carrier whose air waybill is issued.
[2] Agents all over the world are now using their own in-house computer systems to issue airlines' and freight forwarders' own air waybills.
However, it gradually became difficult to accommodate these pre-numbered air waybills with the printed identification in the computer system.
However, the neutral air waybill does not bear any pre-printed individual name, head office address, logo and serial number.
This also implies that the air waybill should be issued immediately upon receipt of the goods and letter in instructions from the shipper.
The validity of the air waybill and thus the contract of carriage expires upon delivery of the shipment to the consignee (or his authorized agent).
This means that the shipper will be responsible for the haul also be liable for all the damage suffered by the airline or any person due to irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of insertions on the air waybill, even if the air waybill has been completed by an agent or the carrier on his behalf, except when the shipper (as vendor) has delivered the goods to a purchaser (consignee) on an Ex Works basis, and the agent has been hired by the consignee to act in its name as contracting carrier, and responsible for overseeing the regularity, correctness or completeness of the air waybill, pursuant to the freight terms and conditions agreed between the consignee and the agent (as contracting carrier), including, without limitation, whether the freight is NVD (Non Value Declared) or VD (Value Declared).
When the agent acts in such conditions, the agent shall be liable for the haul and all the damage suffered by the consignee due to irregularity, incorrectness or incompleteness of insertions on the air waybill (when the shipper includes freight on the purchased item, in any other Incoterms sale, the shipper is the sole responsible, since there will be no agent acting on behalf of the consignee for the relevant freight).
When the shipper signs the AWB or issues the letter of instructions he simultaneously confirms his agreement to the conditions of contract.
An air waybill executed according to the terms of the letter of credit allows the shipper to present the shipper's copy of the air waybill to the bank, with an invoice and other documents stipulated in the letter of credit, and collect the billed value of the shipped goods from the bank.
Therefore, unless a cash payment has been received by the shipper or the buyer's integrity is unquestionable, consigning goods directly to the importer is risky.
Main Features of a Master Air Waybill (MAWB): The AWB number has 11 digits and 3 parts.
Part of a copy of a British Caledonian Airways air waybill can be seen on the back of the cover of the album Band On The Run by Wings.