The process, the benefits, and the watchouts
When shipping goods around the world, the option of air freight will be a constant, but is it worth it? In this section of the Knowledge Centre, we will weigh up the pros and cons so that you can decide. Of course, we recommend that after this article you read our accompanying section ‘air freight vs. ocean freight’ to help inform your decision as to which method to select to transport your goods.
Oh…and spoiler alert: the answer really is ‘it depends! But we will explain….let’s get to it.
Starting at the beginning – what is air freight and who uses it?
Airfreight (sometimes called air cargo) is quite simply the shipment of goods through an air carrier, utilising air transport services. It is an unaccompanied service and there are three options to choose from when selecting air freight:
Consolidated freight – where one flight contains many different shipments (a little like LCL for ocean freight – see here)
Direct services or back to back – a single shipment is transported in the hold of a scheduled plane
Charter services – occasionally (and more common during the covid pandemic) – chartering an entire plane with the singular purpose of transporting the buyer’s freight
Fun fact: Actually, more air freight is transported in passenger planes than in dedicated cargo planes. A large passenger aircraft such as a 777-300 can carry up to 21,000 KG of cargo as well as 442 passengers!
But back to it – air freight really is an incredibly common form of freight, traditionally used to ship small, high-value items which are required at speed in the destination country. It is not effective for heavy, bulky items as the cost of the freight is calculated on weight (or volumetric weight) and not on size (as in the case of ocean freight).
What are the clear advantages of using air freight?
To be fair, there are a number of good reasons to utilise air freight, some being:
Speed – air freight is quick! Via a direct service, you can have your goods within a matter of days. This can be as quick as 5 days door to door, but is usually in the 7-11 day range, depending on the method selected
Security – air freight is tracked (much like passengers) and security is tight
Cost – in some instances it is remarkably good value, primarily if you’re shipping high value, small (and light) items
Care – (well packaged) items transported by air freight often arrive in a better condition than those that travel by ocean
Tracking – air freight is well tracked and you will be able to see what stage of the journey your goods are in at all times
Of course, there are disadvantages, with many being the converse of the above:
Cost – in most instances it is significantly more expensive to ship via air. This is not only for the delivery but also for duty and VAT, as these are based on a percentage cost of the goods + the shipping
Regulations – there are significantly more restrictions on what can be moved by air vs. sea
Speed – sometimes it is not as quick as you hope. If you are utilising consolidated freight services (common) then the aircraft will wait until it is full before departing
Environmental – air freight is considered significantly worse for the environment
Let us talk money – what are the costs of air freight?
As mentioned, air freight is often an expensive way of transporting goods around the world. Oddly shaped boxes will attract higher costs, with the best prices being offered for goods which fill the standard size Unit Load Devices – ULDs – which go into the front part of the hold of a plane. These usually measure around 307cm long x 213cm wide x193 cm high. Of course, the cost of the air freight varies hugely with supply and demand (which fluctuated daily during the covid pandemic!), the goods being sent, and the origin/destination. Here are a few examples of the approximate current (June 2022) rates into the UK for a 50KG shipment:
China to UK - $200 - $300
Vietnam to UK - $150-$300
USA to UK - $200 - $350
But remember – there are additional charges once your goods reach the UK. You need to consider the following:
Important note: the last two will be higher for air freight (then sea freight) as the cost of shipping per unit (in nearly all cases) will be higher than by ocean freight – this can have a big impact on low-margin products.
Top tip: If you are a business importing to the UK, the additional costs can often be significant in the way of bank fees (we should know, we learnt the hard way!). Banks often charge exuberant fees and give you atrocious exchange rates meaning each product costs more than it needs to. To ensure you get the best rates available when paying overseas, we recommend you use Transferwise, a specialist in international payments, which will significantly improve the costs you pay vs. traditional banks.
Now that we have covered the why and the cost, let’s move on to the process.
Ordinarily, air freight movements are handled by freight forwarding agencies, who have experience in navigating both the logistics and the customs. The other option is to work with your supplier to arrange air freight by a carrier and then select a customs broker to help finalise the customs elements. Luckily, the LOGISTO Directory has a plethora of excellent freight forwarders, carriers and customs brokers to assist with this very requirement!
For the sake of convenience, we will follow the example of utilising a freight forwarder to explain the process:
Step 1: Select a freight forwarder after agreeing on the service and price
Step 2: The goods will either be delivered to the freight forwarder or they will collect from your supplier. This can be RFT (ready for travel) or the forwarder will ensure the products are packaged ready for onward travel
Step 3: Your goods will arrive at the airport and will be cleared through customs
Step 4: Goods are loaded onto the plane
Step 5: Your products take off and head to the UK
Step 6: Your products land in the UK and will need to be cleared through customs. Your products will only be released when all duties and taxes have been paid
Step 7: The goods are released and then head on their final journey to your end destination
Sounds simple enough, how long does air freight take?
This does vary between services, but you are looking at 5 days on the speedy side and up to 11 on the slower side (maybe longer if waiting for consolidated flights). Below is a comparison table that details the different freight options and their speediness:
| PORT TO PORT | DOOR TO DOOR | |
|---|---|---|
| Sea Freight (FCL) | 40-56 days | 45-61 days |
| Sea Freight (LCL) | 40-56 days | 48-68 days |
| Air Freight | 1-5 days | 4-11 days |
| Express* | 2-5 days |
*Express Freight is always door to door
What products can’t I send?
As we mentioned, there are a number of products that you can’t send by aeroplane. However, these shouldn’t be too much of a surprise as the list largely replicates the products that you can’t take on a plane as a passenger. Namely:
Luckily, if there is any issue with sending your product by air freight, don’t worry there are a lot less restrictions with sea freight.
Now that we have run through the key elements of sending goods by air freight and the process supporting it, we need to discuss one last key question:
Where do I get quotes from reputable suppliers able to support the movement of my goods by air freight?
Good question and one we are thankfully able to confidently answer (and support you with!). Within the Logisto Directory we have plenty of expert suppliers to help you with your requirements. We recommend reaching out to a number of suppliers to get quotes for your work and you can do this here.
As always, if you have any questions then please reach out via the Forum, or drop us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Thank you
The LOGISTO Team