Turkish Cargo
Air Waybill Tracking
Turkish Cargo air waybills start 235, and its Istanbul hub reaches more countries than any other airline's. Enter your air waybill number for the latest uplift and arrival milestones.
What a Turkish Cargo tracking number looks like
The lookup above accepts any of these in the same field. If one returns nothing, try another. Carriers release milestone data against different identifiers at different stages.
Air waybill number
3-digit airline prefix + 8 digits (11 digits total)
235-12345675The 235 prefix identifies Turkish Airlines. The final digit is a modulus-7 check digit calculated from the seven-digit serial before it. The dash is conventional and optional.
How to track a Turkish Cargo shipment
- 1
Find your air waybill number
Your air waybill number is on the top of the AWB document: three digits identifying the airline, then eight more. Turkish Cargo consignments carry the 235 prefix.
- 2
Turkish Cargo is already selected
Because you are on the Turkish Cargo page, the carrier dropdown is filled in for you. If you actually need a different line, change it. The selection is not locked.
- 3
Enter the number and press Track
Type it exactly as printed. Spaces and dashes are fine, but a mistyped letter will return nothing, since the check digit at the end only validates against the correct serial.
- 4
Read the milestone timeline
You will see uplift, transit and arrival events against the air waybill, plus customs status where the destination authority publishes it.
You can also check Turkish Cargo's own portal directly at Turkish Cargo cargo tracking . The advantage of tracking here is keeping several carriers on one screen instead of one portal per line.
About Turkish Cargo
Turkish Cargo is the freight arm of Turkish Airlines, branded as a separate business in 2000 although the airline itself dates from 1933. It operates 21 dedicated freighters (11 Boeing 777Fs and 10 Airbus A330-200Fs) alongside belly capacity on Turkish Airlines’ passenger network.
That passenger network is the whole point. Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other airline, and cargo inherits that reach: a consignment can connect through Istanbul to destinations that would otherwise need two carriers and a manual interline handover. The operation runs through SMARTIST, the cargo terminal at Istanbul Airport, opened to consolidate what had been a constrained facility at the old airport.
Geography does the rest. Istanbul sits between Europe, Asia and Africa, which makes it a natural transit point for exactly the kind of routing (South Asia to Europe, Africa to the Far East) that has no convenient direct service.
Turkish Cargo tracking: what to check first
You need all eleven digits. An air waybill is the three-digit airline prefix plus eight more. Turkish Cargo’s prefix is 235. The most common failed search is someone entering just the eight-digit serial copied from an email. Put the 235 back on the front; the dash in 235-12345675 is optional.
The dropdown says Turkish Airlines. Turkish Cargo is a brand, not a separate legal carrier. The airline is Türk Hava Yolları. Our carrier list uses the airline name, which is correct even though your paperwork almost certainly says Turkish Cargo. The selection above already accounts for this.
The shipment may already be closed. Air consignments move in days rather than weeks. A number that worked a fortnight ago may now return nothing simply because the goods were delivered and the record retired, the opposite of the ocean freight problem, where numbers fail because nothing has happened yet.
Check the check digit. The eleventh digit is a modulus-7 calculation on the seven before it. A transposed pair looks perfectly plausible and fails every lookup, so read the number from the air waybill itself rather than from a forwarded message or an invoice.
What each Turkish Cargo tracking status means
Air cargo milestones follow IATA's event vocabulary, so these read the same across every airline.
Received from shipper
The consignment was accepted at the origin airport's cargo terminal and the air waybill is now live in the airline's system.
Manifested
The shipment was assigned to a specific flight number and loaded onto a unit load device, ready for uplift.
Departed
The flight carrying your consignment has left the origin airport. Air waybills often split across flights, so a shipment can show partial departure.
Arrived
The flight landed at the destination or a transit airport. Onward connections re-manifest the consignment under the same air waybill number.
Customs cleared
The consignment was released by destination customs and can be collected from the cargo terminal.
Delivered
The consignment was handed over to the consignee or their nominated agent, closing the air waybill.
Where Turkish Cargo shipments usually move
Turkish Cargo tracking questions
What does a Turkish Cargo air waybill number look like?
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Eleven digits: 235, then eight more, usually written 235-12345675. The 235 is the IATA airline prefix for Turkish Airlines. The last digit is a check digit derived from the preceding seven, so a mistyped number fails rather than matching a different consignment.
Why is the carrier called "Turkish Airlines" in the dropdown?
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Because Turkish Cargo is a brand rather than a separate company: the legal carrier is Türk Hava Yolları A.O., or Turkish Airlines. Our carrier list uses the airline name. It is the same operation, and the dropdown above is pre-selected correctly for you.
Does Turkish Cargo fly dedicated freighters?
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Yes: 21 of them, comprising 11 Boeing 777Fs and 10 Airbus A330-200Fs. It also carries substantial belly cargo under Turkish Airlines passenger flights, which is what gives it access to an exceptionally wide destination network.
When was Turkish Cargo founded?
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The Turkish Cargo brand launched in 2000, though its parent Turkish Airlines dates from 1933 and had carried freight long before the cargo division was branded separately. Both dates get quoted depending on what the source is counting.
Where does Turkish Cargo operate from?
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Istanbul, through the SMARTIST cargo terminal at Istanbul Airport. The hub sits between Europe, Asia and Africa, which is the basis of the network: cargo connects through Istanbul rather than flying point to point.
Why is my air waybill number not found?
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Most often because you have only the eight-digit serial without the 235 prefix. All eleven digits are needed. Otherwise, air shipments move in days, so a consignment tracked a while after the fact may have been delivered and its record retired.
Does Maalbardaar charge for Turkish Cargo tracking?
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No. Tracking is included with a free Maalbardaar account, which also lets you keep air and ocean shipments on one dashboard instead of checking each carrier's portal separately.
Every carrier on one dashboard.
Stop checking Turkish Cargo's portal separately from everyone else's. Track your whole book of shipments in one place.
Not shipping with Turkish Cargo?
Track any of these lines from the same dashboard, or use the general tracking page if your carrier is not listed.
Ocean carriers
Air cargo
Maalbardaar is an independent logistics technology platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Turkish Cargo, the air cargo brand of Türk Hava Yolları A.O.. "Turkish Cargo" and all related marks are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here for identification purposes only. For official information, visit the carrier's own website . Carrier data sources: AWB prefix 235 confirmed from Turkish Cargo's own tracking URL, which takes it as a parameter. Turkish Cargo launched as a brand in 2000; parent Turkish Airlines was founded in 1933. Freighter fleet of 21 aircraft (11 Boeing 777Fs and 10 Airbus A330-200Fs), from Turkish Cargo's own reporting. IATA code TK, ICAO code THY. The ICAO code "TKC" quoted by one aggregator is uncorroborated.