Air Freight Services

Air freight is bought for one reason, which is time, and it is worth paying for only when the cost of waiting is bigger than the cost of flying. That calculation is usually straightforward: stock that is about to run out, a production line waiting on a component, a launch date that cannot move, a repaired unit that a customer needs back. Nostrac Shipping arranges air cargo into and out of the United Kingdom for exactly those situations, and we are equally willing to tell you when sea or road will do the job and save you a large sum of money.

Air Freight Options and What They Are For

Air cargo is not one product. The service level should follow the reason you are flying:

• Consolidated air freight — Your cargo travels within a consolidation. It is the most economical way to fly and it suits shipments where a day either way is acceptable.
• Direct airline booking — Space taken on a nominated flight for cargo that needs a defined arrival. Priced higher, but it removes the consolidation cycle from the plan.
• Express and priority — For consignments where the arrival time is the whole point, with priority handling and, where offered by the carrier, a guaranteed uplift.
• Deferred air — Slower routings at a lower rate, still far faster than sea. Useful for replenishment where you are recovering from a delay rather than firefighting.
• Charter — A dedicated aircraft for outsize, urgent or high volume movements where scheduled capacity cannot take the load. Costly, sometimes the only answer, and always worth a proper comparison first.
• Sea and air combinations — Sea to a hub and air on the final leg, used on long routes where the middle ground between cost and speed is what you actually need.

How Air Freight Is Priced

Air pricing surprises people less once the mechanics are clear:

• Chargeable weight — Airlines charge on the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated from the dimensions of the packed cargo, which is why a light but bulky consignment costs far more than the scales suggest.
• Packing efficiency — Because volume drives the bill, packaging design has a direct effect on cost. Reducing the height of a pallet or repacking a part into a tighter carton can pay for itself several times over on a single shipment.
• Airport to airport versus door to door — The airline rate is one part of the total. Pickup, export handling, security screening, terminal charges at destination, clearance and final delivery all sit around it, and we quote the full picture rather than the headline rate.
• Security screening — All cargo flying out must be secure, either screened or coming through a known consignor style supply chain. Screening has practical limits by commodity and packaging, and dense or awkward loads can need extra time or handling.
• Cargo type surcharges — Dangerous goods, temperature control, live and perishable cargo and outsize pieces carry their own handling costs and their own acceptance rules.

Cargo That Needs Special Handling

Air acceptance rules are strict and enforced at the point of tender. These are the categories that need planning:

• Lithium batteries — Regulated in air transport and one of the most common causes of a shipment being refused. The classification, packing, labelling and documents have to match the rules for the exact battery type and whether it is loose, packed with equipment or contained in equipment. We confirm the specifics before booking and will not tender an undeclared battery.
• Dangerous goods generally — Chemicals, aerosols, paints, adhesives and pressurised items each need correct classification, compliant packaging and a declaration prepared by a trained shipper. Some items cannot fly at all.
• Temperature sensitive cargo — Pharmaceutical and life science shipments, and food products, where the requirement is an unbroken chain from origin to delivery, including the periods on the ground at each end where most excursions occur.
• High value and security sensitive goods — Electronics, instruments and similar cargo where routing, storage and handover control matter as much as speed.
• Outsize and heavy pieces — Machinery and equipment where the dimensions decide which aircraft types and which loading equipment can take it, so the answer is a plan rather than a rate.
• Aircraft on ground and critical spares — Component movements where the objective is the earliest possible arrival and everything else in the shipment is secondary.

Related Services

• Import and export declarations on arrival and departure through our UK customs clearance team
• Full import management from origin to delivery on our importing into the UK page
• Documentation and certification for outbound cargo on our exporting from the UK page
• Storage and onward distribution after arrival through UK warehousing and 3PL

Frequently Asked Questions

How much faster is air freight than sea freight?

On long haul lanes the difference is typically weeks against days. A container from Asia to the UK is measured in weeks door to door once inland legs and clearance are counted, while an air shipment on the same lane is usually a matter of days. The gap narrows on short European routes, where road transport is often as fast as air once airport handling at both ends is included.

What is volumetric weight and why am I being charged for it?

Airlines sell space as well as lift, so they charge on whichever is greater between the actual weight of your shipment and a weight calculated from its dimensions. Light, bulky cargo therefore prices on volume. If your consignment is being charged volumetrically, the fastest saving is usually in the packaging rather than in the rate.

Can you ship lithium batteries by air?

Often yes, but only when the item is correctly identified and prepared. The rules differ between loose cells, batteries packed with equipment and batteries installed in equipment, and they are applied strictly at acceptance. Send us the battery specification and the packing arrangement and we will confirm what is possible before anything is booked, rather than discovering it at the airport.

Do you handle door to door air freight or only airport to airport?

Both. Airport to airport suits customers who have their own arrangements at one end. Door to door is the more common request and covers collection, export formalities, the flight, clearance on arrival and delivery to the final address, with one point of contact for the whole movement.

How quickly can you clear an air shipment on arrival in the UK?

Where we have the documents in advance, the entry can be prepared before the aircraft lands so that release follows shortly after the cargo is available and broken down at the terminal. Air shipments lose their advantage when documents chase the goods, so we ask for them at booking.

Is air charter ever worth it?

Occasionally, and it is a decision worth taking with real numbers. Charter earns its cost when a production line is stopped, when a piece will not fit in scheduled capacity, or when several urgent consignments can share the aircraft. We will price the charter and the fastest scheduled alternative side by side so the choice is informed.

Can air freight be combined with sea freight?

Yes. Sea to an intermediate hub with an air leg to the final destination sits between the two on cost and time, and it works well on long routes where full air is too expensive and full sea is too slow. It needs a reliable transhipment partner, which is where the arrangement succeeds or fails.

Talk to Nostrac about your requirements and we will tell you what is realistic before you commit to it.

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