News

Air cargo is a mode of delivery via air, usually done through the same gateway as commercial or passenger lines. If we combine air cargo with door-to-door shipping, a delivery from China to UAE can be done in 5 – 7 days.

What Is Air Cargo

Air shipments come in two types:

• General cargo. Jewelry, pharmaceutics, electronics usually fall under this category, as well as any other small, precious, or urgent goods that do not require special storage conditions.
• Special cargo. Livestock and hazardous materials, along with any goods that need special temperature, casing, or air conditions, fall under the special cargo category.

Advantages of Using Air Cargo vs Sea, Rail or Road Transportation

The benefits of air delivery:

• It is fast – has a delivery time of 5-7 days against 20-25 by sea.
• Has worldwide reach.
• The cargo is easy to track.
• Has a dependable delivery schedule, since the departure and arrival of airplanes is affected only by harsh weather.
• It does not involve LCL shipment.
• Air cargo needs less packaging than sea freight.
• It also has a higher level of security.

Air freight is best for time-sensitive goods and for cargo that is small in size and lightweight.  

How Air Cargo Works

Air cargo shipping can happen in two ways:

• Goods are moved with couriers or cargo airlines.
• Goods are transported by the freight forwarder.

There are advantages and disadvantages to either of them.

Cargo Airlines

Companies like FedEx specialize in moving cargo through the air. The advantages of using them are that they are fast, easy to use, and dependable. It is also always possible to track the cargo from the moment of pick-up until it’s dropped off at the intended location. 

The disadvantage is the cost, which may get too high for small businesses and private shipments.

Freight Forwarders

Forwarder companies also utilize cargo airlines to haul cargo, but they can consolidate shipments from multiple customers and move goods in bulk. The advantages of using a freight forwarder are:

• Affordability. Since a forwarder company ships packages in bulk, they get good prices from the airlines and can offer affordable rates for their clients. 
• Flexibility. They can usually offer a choice of carriers and modes of shipment. 
• Operational ease. Such companies can act as an agent of their clients in dealing with customs, transportation officials, and aircraft operators. In the case of door-to-door shipping mode, they would take care of the entire journey the cargo does, and save a lot of time and hassle, especially for shippers that needs to bring in goods from different suppliers, each one with their own warehouse. 
• Regulations. Freight forwarders have the know-how and are aware of how to get the goods to the destination in the most efficient way. 

Potential disadvantages to using freight forwarders may include:

• Communication issues between a cargo owner and a forwarder. This can create gaps in information both sides have. One of the possible outcomes is a delay in delivery. However, experienced freight forwarders might be able to address it to some extent.
• Unclear pricing. What costs are being applied and how they are calculated might not be obvious. This by itself is not a problem, but it’s best to compare quotes from a few companies before signing a deal.
• Unregulated forwarders. Companies, that do not comply with regulatory requirements, handle goods and documentation poorly can create problems with customs control, damage the cargo, bring on shipment delays, and many more consequences.

Two issues that happen with both cargo airlines and freight forwarders are lost shipments and delays in delivery. Choosing a good airline or forwarder makes this risk lower.

How Long Does It Take

Transit time for air cargo delivery from China to UAE can take up to 7 days. The specific time depends on what is the place of origin and the destination, and the weather. 

Harsh weather may force airlines to cancel flights, which in turn leads to an increase in transit time. This is especially relevant during China’s typhoon season (usually, from July to September). On average, about 7 to 8 typhoons hit China every year.

How Much Does Air Cargo Cost

The price of shipping goods via air depends mainly on three main factors:

• Type of shipment – its volume, weight, and whether it is general or special goods that need a regulated environment.   
• Destination – whether it goes to an international, local, or cargo-only airport.
• Speed – how fast it needs to arrive.

The insurance, custom taxes, surcharges also add up to form the final bill for delivery. 

Other than these, the cost may be influenced by fuel availability, service level, season, and things like politics and environment and change regularly, so it needs to be calculated anew for each shipment.

When and Why To Choose Air Cargo

As a general rule of thumb, air freight cost is about 60% higher than sea freight. But there is a number of situations when it can actually be more profitable and even cheaper to send cargo via air than with sea. Check the rates and consider using air route if you face a situation like one of these:

• You are shipping delicate, fragile, or perishable goods like electronics, jewelry, pharmaceutic items.
• Your cargo weighs less than 100 kg.
• The shipment is small in size (even if the weight is not).
• Consider using air delivery if your other option is LCL sea freight. LCL shipments typically incur more terminal handling expenses. Those might add up and bring the cost of shipment quite high. This only applies if the cargo’s size and weight are on the smaller side.
• Short transit time is worth its price. This makes sense when you need to get a present for someone’s birthday or deliver some exclusive part for your PC or car repair as soon as possible.
• For businesses, it might also be better to get supplies for manufacturing fast even with air shipment, rather than wait for sea delivery and incur losses due to suspension of production.

UKR Shipping can ensure air cargo door-to-door shipping time from China to UAE within 5 to 7 days.

We offer:

• Fulfillment Services (Storage, Picking & Packing based on orders, Delivery to customer).
• Delivery to Amazon FBA based on appointments.

Why Ship with UKR Shipping LLC?

• We will coordinate with your supplier, even if he speaks only Chinese.
• We can do a pick up at their warehouse f your supplier can’t
• send the goods to us.
• Once we received your cargo in China, UKR Shipping LLC would send an SMS informing you about it. You confirm your rate from a link sent in it.
• You can have us inspect the goods in our Chinese warehouse to ensure they are what you expect them to be. If the goods are in bad condition we will inform you and can assist with it.
• We can arrange door-to-door shipping of goods: from your supplier’s pickup place to your door in UAE.
• UKR Shipping can deliver to the Amazon warehouse if needed (with an additional charge of 200 AED).
• You can track your cargo at all times with a shipping code on our website.
• We provide customer support via Whatsapp. Our staff will respond to all your questions.
• We offer various convenient payment options. E.x., Cash on delivery/Card on delivery – you
• Don’t pay until you receive your goods to door.

Do you have a cargo to ship? Get an instant quote here: ad.ukrshipping.com/get-price-quote