Canadian North air cargo tracking

How to read a Canadian North air waybill number

518-12330640 format-valid example — not a live shipment

Air waybill numbers are 11 digits, usually printed like 518-12330640. The first three digits are the IATA airline prefix — 518 is Canadian North’s — and the remaining eight are the serial, where the last digit is a check digit (the first seven digits modulo 7).

One AWB covers the whole consignment (there is no per-piece number), and unlike container numbers, AWB serials are recycled by airlines after roughly a year — so a very old number can show someone else’s shipment.

If your Canadian North tracking isn’t working

1. 1 Check the number format first

   An air waybill is 11 digits — a 3-digit airline prefix and an 8-digit serial, e.g. 518-12330640. Enter it with or without the dash, but don’t drop leading zeros from the serial.

2. 2 Make sure the number was issued by this carrier

   If your serial doesn’t start with 518, the AWB was issued by a different airline or a freight forwarder (a “house” AWB). Track house AWBs with the forwarder; the airline only sees its own “master” AWB.

3. 3 Too early or too late

   Timing matters: a number that was only just issued may not show results yet, and carriers remove old shipments from public tracking a few weeks after delivery. If the shipment is very new or long delivered, an empty result doesn’t mean the number is wrong.

4. 4 Paste carefully on Canadian North’s page

   Because Canadian North’s form can’t be pre-filled from a link, paste the number exactly — with no leading or trailing spaces and no extra characters copied from an email. If the page shows a security check, complete it and search again.

5. 5 Still nothing?

   Contact whoever sold you the freight service (your forwarder, broker, or Canadian North directly) with the air waybill number and the booking reference — they can see internal status that public tracking doesn’t show.

Frequently asked questions

How do I track a Canadian North air waybill?

Enter your air waybill number in the box above and select Track. We open Canadian North’s official tracking page so you can paste your number. Canadian North air waybill numbers usually begin with 518.

What does a Canadian North air waybill number look like?

Air waybill (AWB) numbers have 11 digits: a 3-digit airline prefix and an 8-digit serial, usually written like 176-12345678. The prefix identifies the airline. For Canadian North the AWB prefix is 518. A format-valid example is 518-12330640.

Why does the Canadian North page open without my number filled in?

Canadian North’s tracking form is protected (captcha, login, or a non-shareable form), so the number can’t be passed in the link. We open the correct page — just paste your number there.

What if my number doesn’t start with 518?

Then it probably wasn’t issued by Canadian North — shipments booked through a freight forwarder or partner carrier often travel under a different issuer’s air waybill number. Paste the number on our homepage and the prefix detector will suggest the right airline, or check your shipping documents for who issued them.

Is this Canadian North’s official tracking site?

No — this is an independent directory of official carrier tracking pages. We keep a verified link to Canadian North’s own tracking page and send you there; the tracking data you see comes directly from Canadian North, and we never see or store it.