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Airway Bill

Extract structured data from air waybills (AWB) including shipper/consignee details, flight information, cargo specifications, and declared values.

Overview

The Airway Bill (AWB) document type extracts critical information from air cargo documentation. An Air Waybill is a contract of carriage between the shipper and the airline, serving as a receipt for goods and a document of title.

DocuRift processes various air waybill formats:

  • Master Air Waybill (MAWB)
  • House Air Waybill (HAWB)
  • Neutral Air Waybill (issued by freight forwarders)
  • Carrier-specific AWB formats
  • Electronic Air Waybill (e-AWB) printouts

Extracted Fields

| Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | awbNumber | string | 11-digit Air Waybill number | | date | string | AWB issue date (ISO 8601 format) | | shipper | object | Details of the shipping party | | shipper.name | string | Name of the shipper | | shipper.address | string | Full address of the shipper | | shipper.accountNumber | string | Shipper's account number (if any) | | consignee | object | Details of the receiving party | | consignee.name | string | Name of the consignee | | consignee.address | string | Full address of the consignee | | consignee.accountNumber | string | Consignee's account number (if any) | | origin | string | 3-letter IATA airport code of origin | | destination | string | 3-letter IATA airport code of destination | | flightNumber | string | Carrier flight number | | pieces | number | Total number of pieces | | weight | number | Gross weight of shipment | | weightUnit | string | Unit of weight (K for kg, L for lb) | | dimensions | object | Shipment dimensions | | dimensions.length | number | Length of cargo | | dimensions.width | number | Width of cargo | | dimensions.height | number | Height of cargo | | dimensions.unit | string | Unit of measurement (CM, IN) | | declaredValue | number | Declared value for carriage | | declaredValueCurrency | string | Currency of declared value |

Example Request

POST/v1/documents/process
curl -X POST 'https://api.docurift.com/v1/documents/process' \
  -H 'X-API-Key: your_api_key' \
  -F 'file=@airway-bill.pdf' \
  -F 'documentType=airway_bill'

Example Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "doc_awb_9a8b7c6d5e4f",
    "documentType": "airway_bill",
    "result": {
      "awbNumber": "098-12345678",
      "date": "2024-01-22",
      "shipper": {
        "name": "TechExport Solutions GmbH",
        "address": "Industriestrasse 45, 60329 Frankfurt, Germany",
        "accountNumber": "FRA-78432"
      },
      "consignee": {
        "name": "Digital Imports Inc.",
        "address": "2500 Technology Drive, San Jose, CA 95134, USA",
        "accountNumber": "SFO-92187"
      },
      "origin": "FRA",
      "destination": "SFO",
      "flightNumber": "LH454",
      "pieces": 8,
      "weight": 245.5,
      "weightUnit": "K",
      "dimensions": {
        "length": 120,
        "width": 80,
        "height": 95,
        "unit": "CM"
      },
      "declaredValue": 85000.00,
      "declaredValueCurrency": "EUR"
    },
    "confidence": 0.97,
    "processingTimeMs": 2050
  }
}

Field Definitions

awbNumber

The unique 11-digit Air Waybill number in the format XXX-XXXXXXXX where:

  • First 3 digits: Airline prefix code assigned by IATA
  • Last 8 digits: Unique serial number with check digit

date

The date the Air Waybill was issued, in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD).

shipper

The party shipping the goods:

  • name: Full legal name of the shipper
  • address: Complete address including city, postal code, and country
  • accountNumber: Shipper's account number with the carrier or forwarder

consignee

The party receiving the goods:

  • name: Full legal name of the consignee
  • address: Complete delivery address
  • accountNumber: Consignee's account number if applicable

origin

The 3-letter IATA airport code for the origin airport (e.g., FRA for Frankfurt, JFK for New York JFK).

destination

The 3-letter IATA airport code for the final destination airport.

flightNumber

The carrier and flight number for the shipment (e.g., LH454, EK501). For multi-leg shipments, this represents the first or main flight.

pieces

The total number of pieces or packages in the shipment.

weight

The gross weight of the entire shipment.

weightUnit

The unit of weight measurement:

  • K: Kilograms
  • L: Pounds

dimensions

Physical dimensions of the cargo:

  • length: Length of the shipment
  • width: Width of the shipment
  • height: Height of the shipment
  • unit: Unit of measurement (CM for centimeters, IN for inches)

declaredValue and declaredValueCurrency

The value declared for carriage purposes, used for calculating liability in case of loss or damage. The currency is expressed as a 3-letter ISO 4217 code.

Best Practices

  1. AWB Number Validation: The 11-digit AWB number includes a check digit. DocuRift validates the format but additional verification with the carrier's system is recommended.

  2. MAWB vs HAWB: Master Air Waybills (issued by airlines) and House Air Waybills (issued by forwarders) have different structures. DocuRift identifies and extracts appropriately from both.

  3. IATA Airport Codes: Origin and destination are extracted as 3-letter IATA codes. Ensure your systems can map these to full airport/city names.

  4. Weight Types: Air cargo may have actual weight and volumetric (dimensional) weight. DocuRift extracts the chargeable weight as shown on the AWB.

  5. Multi-Leg Shipments: For shipments with multiple flight legs, the AWB may show routing information. The primary flightNumber field contains the first flight.

  6. e-AWB Documents: Electronic Air Waybills are increasingly common. DocuRift processes both printed and digital e-AWB formats.

  7. Handling Codes: Special handling codes (e.g., PER for perishables, DGR for dangerous goods) may appear on AWBs. These can be extracted with additional configuration.

  8. Charges and Prepaid/Collect: AWBs include detailed charge breakdowns. For comprehensive charge extraction, ensure all sections of the document are clearly visible.

  9. Compliance Documents: AWBs are legal documents. For trade compliance workflows, combine AWB extraction with customs documentation processing.

  10. Tracking Integration: Use the extracted awbNumber to integrate with airline cargo tracking APIs for real-time shipment status.