Every year, two-three per cent of the total cargo volume is delivered by air. While this may seem like a small percentage, it represents 35% of the total cargo value. Air freight is a vital part of global supply chains.
Consumer expectations for faster shipping have grown, and air freight is the answer for many companies with low-volume, high-value shipments.
1. Air freight is the fastest transportation option
Air freight is by far the fastest way to deliver cargo. Cargo planes generally travel at a speed of around 900 kilometres per hour. This means any shipment you make will reach its destination in the fastest time possible.
The speed air shipping grants makes it an attractive option for businesses that sell perishable items. Even across vast distances such as continents, your goods can be delivered in under a few hours.
Transit times:
Shanghai Pu Dong Airport – London Heathrow: ~13 hours.
Yangshan Port – Felixstowe Port: ~28 days.
2. Air freight is versatile and reliable
Sea shipments can be prone to unreliability. Unfavourable weather conditions and other issues can delay a shipmen at any time. Ports are regularly forced to close because of poor weather conditions. A recent high-profile example of unforeseen problems is the Ever Given ship getting stuck in the Suez Canal and causing days of delays for countless other vessels.
Not only does air freight dramatically reduce the chances of this happening, but departures are far more frequent. You can almost pick what hour of what day you’d like goods to arrive at their destination. This versatility makes air freight a reliable option for businesses where delivery time is a top priority.
3. Air freight lets you ship your goods anywhere
When shipping with sea freight, it is inevitable road haulage will need to be involved as well because the boat can't get the items to their final destination. Road freight on the other hand severely limits how far your cargo can go. Air freight doesn’t have any of these problems.
Planes can take your goods virtually anywhere. By flying above obstacles and congested transportation areas, planes can reach challenging and remote delivery points other methods can’t access.
4. Air freight helps keep your cargo secure
If you're concerned about your goods getting damaged or stolen, air freight is a great solution. Goods shipped as air freight undergo minimal handling, leaving few opportunities for accidents. As mentioned previously, transit time is also significantly reduced, so there is a smaller window for something bad to happen.
Airports are also well known for being one of the most tightly regulated facilities globally, reducing the risk of mistakes or theft. In fact, aircraft are so tightly regulated, some goods can’t even be transported by air. Read more about the types of freight which cannot be shipped by air here.
5. Air freight reduces packaging and storage
As a way of reducing weight, air freight often requires less packaging than other shipping methods. This helps save money but also means there is less wastage.
Additionally, due to the speed of transportation and quick clearance procedures of customs officers, there is much less need for warehousing. When looking across a whole supply chain warehousing fees can be a significant cost, therefore this can be a sizeable saving.
6. Air freight reduces the cost of insurance
Because it is well known that air freight is a much more secure method of transport, insurance premiums are lower. Not only that, but insurance companies know air cargo transit times are far shorter than other methods. So, items don’t need to be covered for as long, bringing premiums down further.
7. Air freight has quicker recovery times
From time to time, mistakes can happen in supply chains and departures are missed. However, plane departures are far more frequent than road, sea or rail transport. Which means if the cargo doesn’t make a particular flight, the recovery time is much less.
In other words, the cargo will likely be on a plane only a few hours after it was meant to be. So, disaster is averted! Rather than waiting days and days, which is highly likely to be the case if it was to miss a boat. So that provides a bit of extra security and reassurance.
Should you use air freight for your goods?
Air freight offers many advantages that other methods of transportation can't. Yes, it is the most expensive option. However, the points listed above highlight some cost savings that it can result in. Warehousing, insurance, packaging; all these fees are likely to be reduced moving to air freight. So although air freight is a more expensive transport mode, overall supply chain costs might not be increased much. They may even reduce, when you take the full picture into account.
But certainly, if your goods need to move quickly, need to reach somewhere remote, or would benefit from the extra reliability and security, air freight may be the best choice for your business.
If you'd like to learn more about utilising air freight shipments, we can help. WTA UK are international freight experts.
