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Air Freight:A Comprehensive Guide
The definition and characteristics of air transport make it an essential mode of transportation for foreign trade. Whether it is for time-sensitive goods or for long-distance cargo transportation, air transport can provide fast and reliable solutions. At the same time, air transport also has some disadvantages, such as high transportation costs, and goods are easily restricted and safety considerations. Therefore, when choosing air transport, it is necessary to comprehensively consider the characteristics and needs of the goods, as well as factors such as transportation costs and time.
Air Freight Definition and Characteristics
Fast transportation:The biggest feature of air transportation is its fast speed, which can quickly deliver goods to all parts of the world, and is very suitable for time-sensitive goods, such as emergency supplies, fresh products, fashion clothing, etc.
Global coverage:Using the dense global aviation network, goods can be delivered to almost any place in the world with an airport. Especially for remote areas or island countries, air transport may be the only feasible fast transportation method.
High security:Air transportation has strict safety standards, low damage rate, and good safety. From packaging requirements to operating procedures, every link has been carefully designed to ensure the safety of goods.
Suitable for special goods: For fresh, seasonal, high-value or perishable goods, air transport provides the best transportation solution to ensure the freshness and quality of the goods.
Accurate tracking: Through advanced information technology, shippers and consignees can track the status of goods in real time, from takeoff to landing to final delivery, with full transparency.
Cost considerations: Although the cost of air transport is higher than that of sea transport, the fast transportation time can reduce inventory costs and speed up capital turnover. For some industries, this time benefit can offset the cost difference.
Strict supervision and compliance: International air transport involves complex customs procedures, inspection and quarantine, and international trade regulations, which require professional operations to ensure smooth customs clearance of goods.
Flexibility and reliability: Airlines have high flight frequencies, flexible routes, can adjust capacity according to market demand, and are less affected by weather and traffic conditions, providing more reliable transportation services.
Value-added services: Air transport service providers usually provide a series of value-added services, such as packaging, warehousing, insurance, door-to-door services, etc., to meet the needs of different customers.
Air Freight Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages Of Air Freight
Fast speed: Compared with other modes of transportation, air freight is one of the fastest modes of transportation. It can deliver goods to the destination quickly, saving time costs and is suitable for the transportation of urgent goods.
High flexibility: Air freight is very flexible and can adjust flight plans and routes at any time according to customer needs. This makes air freight very suitable for emergencies, seasonal goods and other situations that require a quick response.
Wide global coverage: Air freight can reach all parts of the world, whether it is a big city or a remote area, it can be reached by air transportation. This makes air freight an indispensable part of international trade.
Disadvantages Of Air Freight
Higher cost: Air freight has a higher transportation cost compared to sea or land transport. This is mainly due to the high price of aviation fuel and the high service fees of airlines.
Limited transportation volume: Air freight cannot carry as much cargo as sea freight due to the limited cargo capacity of aircraft. This makes air freight have certain limitations in the transportation of bulk goods.
Dependence on weather and airport conditions: Air freight is greatly affected by weather and airport conditions. Bad weather and airport congestion may cause flight delays or cancellations, bringing uncertainty to the transportation of goods.
Application Fields Of Air Transport
The application fields of air transport are very wide, involving various industries and fields. First of all, air transport plays a vital role in international trade. Since air transport is fast, safe and reliable, it is the preferred mode of transportation in international trade, especially for time-sensitive commodities such as fresh food and medical equipment.
Secondly, air transport is also widely used in the field of e-commerce. With the rapid development of e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce has become an important business model. And air transport is one of the important supports for cross-border e-commerce. Through air transport, goods can be quickly transported from one country to another to meet consumers’ demand for fast delivery.
In addition, air transport is also widely used in international aid and humanitarian rescue operations. In disasters and emergencies, air transport can quickly deliver relief supplies and medical equipment to disaster-stricken areas to provide much-needed help to victims.
In addition, the transportation of high-tech products and high value-added commodities is also inseparable from air transport. For example, aircraft parts, electronic products, jewelry, etc., because of their high value and fragility, require fast and safe transportation methods, so air transport is chosen.
In short, air transport has a wide range of applications, covering international trade, e-commerce, aid and rescue, high-tech products, etc. Its fast and safe features make it the preferred mode of transportation for many industries.
How To Calculate Air Freight
Generally, the air freight charge is: length (CM) ✖ width (CM) ✖ height (CM) ➗6000 (some channels are 5000) ✖ current market price per kilogram (KG)
The specific air freight costs from China to different countries and regions will vary according to multiple factors, including but not limited to the following:
Cargo weight and volume: The larger value of the actual weight and volume weight (calculated according to a certain volume conversion factor) will be used for billing.
Destination country/region: The rates for different destinations vary, affected by the popularity of the route, distance and local logistics costs.
Cargo type: The transportation costs and surcharges for different types of cargo such as general cargo, dangerous goods, refrigerated cargo, etc. are different.
Service type: The service level such as door-to-door, airport-to-airport, express or economy service will affect the cost.
Fuel surcharge, war risk and other surcharges: These charges will be adjusted according to market fluctuations and airline policies.
Seasonal changes: Holidays, exhibitions or peak seasons may cause freight rates to increase.
Exchange rate fluctuations: If the cost is denominated in non-RMB, the actual payment amount will be affected by the exchange rate.
How To Air Freight From China To The World
The basic process of air freight from China to the world includes the following steps:
Cargo preparation: Make sure your cargo packaging meets international air transport standards, especially for fragile, dangerous goods or special goods, special packaging and marking are required in accordance with international regulations.
Choose a freight forwarder or airline: You can arrange air freight through a freight forwarder or directly contact the airline. Freight forwarders usually provide one-stop services, including document preparation, booking, customs declaration, etc., while working directly with airlines may get more competitive prices in some cases. NEW SPEED is a professional freight forwarding company with a professional team to match you with safe and efficient logistics channels.
Inquiry and quotation: Inquire with freight forwarders or airlines to obtain the latest freight rates, flight information and additional fees (such as fuel surcharges, security fees, etc.). Quotations are usually based on the weight, volume, destination and whether special services are required for the goods.
Cargo declaration and document preparation: Prepare necessary export documents such as commercial invoices, packing lists, export licenses (if necessary), air waybills, etc. Freight forwarders can help you complete this process.
Booking and cargo delivery: Once the price and shipping details are confirmed, you need to book the space. The goods need to be delivered to the designated warehouse or airport on time for security inspection and weighing.
Customs clearance: Before the goods leave the country, you need to complete the export customs clearance procedures in China. This step is usually handled by a freight forwarder or customs broker to ensure compliance with import and export regulations in China and the destination country.
Shipping and tracking: After the goods are loaded, you will be given a tracking number to track the flight path and estimated arrival time of the goods online.
Customs clearance and pickup at the destination port: After the goods arrive at the destination country, import customs clearance procedures need to be completed. Customs clearance may require relevant documents such as import licenses, commercial invoices, etc. After customs clearance, the goods can be picked up or further delivered to the final destination by local express/freight companies.
Professional Logistics Air Freight Forwarding
Professional warehouse: NEW SPEED has a warehouse in Shenzhen equipped with an advanced warehouse management system, which can provide short-term or long-term storage, cargo sorting, packaging, labeling and other value-added services, as well as meet the special storage needs of specific goods such as temperature control and moisture-proof.
Business team: NEW SPEED’s business team is composed of experienced sales and customer service representatives, who are responsible for communicating with customers, understanding customer needs, and providing customized logistics solutions, including quotation, route planning, document processing, etc.
Service team: NEW SPEED’s service team focuses on operational execution and after-sales support, including import and export customs declaration, cargo tracking, exception handling, insurance claim assistance, etc., to ensure that all services in the cargo transportation process are carried out smoothly.
High-quality channels: NEW SPEED has established good cooperative relations with many airlines, has stable space resources and preferential freight rates, and can provide customers with fast and reliable air transportation services, while covering major global trade routes.
Excellent Air Freight Companies
Some of the world’s best-known high-quality air freight companies include DHL, FedEx Express, UPS, TNT (now part of FedEx), EMS, and many professional air freight companies such as Cathay Pacific Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, etc. Of course, there are also many regional high-quality logistics companies that provide highly professional and customized services in the local market. When choosing, based on your own needs and the characteristics of the goods, comprehensively compare the above factors, it is recommended to find a professional freight forwarder to solve professional channel problems for you.
Professional Air Freight Logistics Company Overview
Not all logistics companies have their own exhibition logistics warehouses, especially in the logistics industry, where there are multiple business models. Small or poorly serviced logistics companies may rely more on outsourcing or leasing warehouses to meet customer needs rather than investing in building and maintaining their own warehouses. This approach helps them reduce costs, but it may also bring management inconveniences and insufficient control over warehouse conditions and locations, which in turn affects service quality and response speed.
For the special needs of exhibition logistics, logistics companies are usually required to have a high degree of professionalism and flexibility, including the ability to provide temporary warehousing, on-site loading and unloading, special packaging and handling of exhibits, and precise logistics time management services. Some high-quality logistics companies or exhibition logistics service providers that focus on this field, such as Tiandi Huayu and Lushun Logistics, will own or cooperate with special warehouses to adapt to the special requirements of exhibition logistics and ensure the safety and timely delivery of exhibits.
Therefore, if it comes to exhibition logistics services, it is particularly important to choose an experienced logistics company with good facilities and a professional team. Such companies can usually better handle the complexity and timeliness of exhibition logistics and ensure the smooth progress of exhibition activities.