When importers and exporters around the world need to get their goods somewhere quickly and reliably, they use air freight. While 90% of everything is shipped by sea, airfreight can connect the world faster, reducing shipping times from 20-30 days by sea to just three days by air shipping from China to the US.
International air freight and express freight are not the same things.
Express air freight is usually handled by a single company (such as DHL, UPS or FedEx) that manages the entire shipping lifecycle and delivers from door to door within five days. Express air shipments are usually smaller than air shipments (less than one cubic metre and 200 kg). International air freight shipments can be much larger and may cross multiple carriers during transit. In fact, the largest cargo aircraft, the Anatol 225, can accommodate an entire train.
In a typical season, international air freight rates are around US$2.50 to US$5.00 per kilo, depending on the type of cargo you are transporting and the space available. However, since February 2020, costs have risen sharply due to severe disruptions in sea freight and high consumer demand.
What goods are typically shipped by air?
Due to the high cost of air freight rates, it is usually limited to smaller, high-value shipments or time-sensitive items such as
- documents and samples. DHL Global Forwarding actually started by air shipping documents by sea to expedite release along the new West Coast-Hawaii ocean route. Airfreight remains the most cost effective way to ship documents.
- Electronics. It is well known that Steve Jobs purchased all available airfreight capacity on major routes from Asia to the US in order to ship the first iMac before the holiday season.
- Medicine. Medical supplies are frequently flown in due to their small size and high value.
- Seasonal shipments. Whatever the product, if there’s high international demand for a product that needs to strengthen the supply chain, it’s often shipped by air. Apparel. Seasonal trends in apparel change quickly. As a result, companies often need to get garments from the factory to the shop as quickly as possible. The small size and high value of garments also make air freight a worthwhile expense.
Benefits of China air freight
Air freight has three main benefits.
- Reliability – airfreight offers better tracking and greater certainty that your goods will arrive at the right place at the right time.
- Speed – aircraft are approximately 30 times faster than ocean liners. Airliners cruise at 575 mph, while slow-moving ocean liners move at 16-18 mph. This means that air cargo can travel from a factory in China to a warehouse in the USA in just five days. Use this transit time calculator to estimate airfreight transit times based on recent actual shipments.
- Protection – goods are more easily damaged when transported by sea than by air. This makes it a good choice for fragile items
When should I not ship by air?
The following are some of the disadvantages of airfreight.
- Cost – air freight is expensive compared to sea freight. Comparing air freight to ocean freight, a medium-sized 2,000 lb box from Shenzhen, China to Los Angeles, USA costs US$1,500 by ocean freight, while air freight costs up to US$8,000 or more. However, with the current increase in ocean costs, this difference may be smaller.
- Heavy cargo – Since the 1960s, freight has revolved around shipping in containers, which are ideal for transporting large, heavy items. Air freight is priced according to size and weight and can scale prices very quickly.
- CO2 emissions – Air freight leads to more emissions. For example, according to a UK government study, transporting 2 tonnes of goods 5,000 kilometres by sea would result in 150 kg of CO2 emissions, compared to 6,605 kg of CO2 emissions by air. Definitely not the most environmentally friendly way to transport.
Air freight rates and charges
The total cost of air freight may currently include, in addition to air freight charges for weight and volume
- fuel surcharges
- security surcharges
- container freight terminal/terminal handling charges
- airport transfers
In addition, for door-to-door costs, the price will also include airfreight services, including
- customs clearance operations
- Pick-up and delivery
- Cargo insurance
- surcharges
If your business is not sure which shipping method is better from or to China, TJ China freight, a leading China freight forwarder will tailor a solution to suit the characteristics of your cargo and your business.
