Air freight, also called air cargo, is a vital component of the global economy being a rapid and trustworthy method of transferring the cargoes between the continents. Air freight is capable of transporting anything from food such as fruits and vegetables to more valuable gadgets and drugs etc promptly. Air freight, in this guide, will therefore be explored in terms of the basic principles of its operation, its benefits, threats, and some important points to be considered by enterprises that intend to engage in air freight.
Table of Contents
Understanding Air Freight:
Air freight is the process of transporting cargo by air in either, passenger aircraft aircraft being used as cargo-carrying holds or in specific cargo aircraft. Compared to other modes of transportation such as sea freight or road freight, air freight offers several distinct advantages:Compared to other modes of transportation such as sea freight or road freight, air freight offers several distinct advantages:
- Speed: Air freight can be described as requiring longer transit phases, but is quick, making it appropriate for the timely delivery of consignments. Air freight has the clear advantage of halving or even cutting the time spent in transit compared with sea or road transport; airplanes have the capacity to travel thousands of miles in just a few hours.
- Reliability: Transportation through the use of airways involves highly organized networks so that the times of delivery can be easily predicted. This reliability is more so important in firms undertaking just-in-time production, or businesses dealing with perishable products that need to reach the market as quickly as possible.
- Global Reach: It is a source of globalized markets as it enables the transportation of goods to various parts of the world with reasonable transport systems. International airport, large airports are strategic centres that enables international trade by providing connection between different global regions.
- Security: This means that airports took serious measures to ensure that no one interfered with the air cargo as it was being transported. Moreover, unlike sea freight, air freight consignment has fewer touch points so there is a less likelihood of consignment getting damaged or lost in the process.
Challenges and Considerations:
Despite these advantages, air freight is not without its pros and cons, issues specific ways businesses should address:
- Cost: Air freight is also relatively expensive than sea or road transport since aircraft carriers are expensive, fuels costs are high, airport handling charges are high and limited capacity space in the aircraft. Manufacturers and producers must take into consideration especially low-demand-to-cost margin products when considering air freight against other modes of transport.
- Weight and Size Restrictions: Air cargo capacity is determined by the available physical space in the cargo holds, and as is well known, aircraft cargo volumes are limited by both size and weight. Before making comparisons between rates, one must know if they are comparing apples to apples or oranges to oranges since oversized or heavyweight shipments may attract other or extra charges/arrangements for handling them thus affecting the total transportation cost.
- Documentation and Customs Compliance: Air freight shipments refer to the international carrying of goods through the use of aircraft hence complicate shipment documents and customs processes. This makes it mandatory for the business to adhere to the regulations of customs, follow the general rules and regulations on the declaration of goods to be transported across the two airports and produce all necessary documents required for processing at both airports.
- Scheduling and Availability: Some of the difficulties that might be encountered when choosing and getting access to air transport for air freight shipments are: flight frequency – limited number of available flights and carrying capacity – limited number of spots for additional shipments available for a specific route might become an issue especially during peak seasons or when the demand is high. To ensure transportation arrangements are prepared sufficiently early to meet the needs of the airline and forwarding and carriage services, advance booking and constant communication with the airline and the freight forwarder must be conducted.
By identifying the nature and trends associated with air freight, developing exceptional relationships with airlines and logistic providers, and applying the ideal approaches to managing logistics; companies can capably maximize the opportunities of air transportation in fulfilling their financial and operations needs of supply chain and customer satisfaction.