Air freight is key in supporting the global trade system. Each year, trillions of EUR worth of goods are transported by air. Air freight is known to be the best transport alternative for high-value and low-volume shipments. But are there any other reasons for using air freight? Sure there are. In this blog post, I share the top 6 benefits of air freight.
1. Air freight is the fastest transport alternative
Do you need to move your goods quickly? Air freight is, without doubt, the fastest transport alternative compared to ocean, road, or rail transport. Because of its speed, air freight is especially effective for shipping goods over longer distances. Cargo aeroplanes generally cruise at speeds of approximately 900 kilometres per hour. Shipping your goods by air from one continent to another often takes just a few hours.
2. Air freight shipments are highly reliable
Is receiving your goods in time your top priority? Air freight shipments are highly reliable as airlines tend to be on top of their schedules with dependable arrival and departure times. Even a missed flight wouldn’t cause much delay as most air freight services run on daily schedules, often with hourly departures.
3. Ship your goods almost anywhere with air freight
Do you need to ship your goods to a remote destination? The routes for sea, road, and rail freight usually involve major transportation networks, leaving the smaller countries of the world out. Many airlines, however, have a large network of destinations covering nearly the entire world. This means, with air freight you can ship your goods almost anywhere.
4. Air freight shipments are very secure
Are you concerned about your goods getting damaged or stolen? As air freight is often used for high-value shipments, safety is important. However, goods shipped by air undergo minimal handling, which makes air freight one of the safest shipping alternatives. At the airport, safety controls over cargo are tightly managed and most goods are cleared within a matter of hours. This reduces the risk of both damage and theft.
5. Reduced costs for packaging, warehousing, and insurance
Do you want to avoid unnecessary costs? Air shipments usually require less heavy packing compared to other shipping alternatives. Also, the quicker transit times of air freight reduce the need for local warehousing and insurance premiums are lower. This means you can save some money on additional packaging services and warehousing as well as insurance costs.
6. Air freight shipments are easy to track
Tracking your air freight shipments is easy as there is always a flight number and information about when the flight takes off and when it lands. Also, many freight forwarders provide web applications for tracking your goods. This means you can monitor the status of your cargo from departure to arrival to stay constantly updated.
Air freight and the environment
When it comes to reducing our ecological footprint, sea freight almost always wins the battle over air freight. This is why you should pick your transportation mode wisely based on what type of goods you need to ship, to and from what destinations, and what your priorities are.
If you have high-value and low-volume goods that need to be moved quickly to a remote destination, air freight is probably your best option. However, if you have low-value and high-volume goods that are not very time critical and there are trade lanes that call the port directly, sea freight is most likely the best alternative.
If you are interested in comparing air freight with sea freight, also read our blog post:
Air freight versus sea freight – when to choose what.
I hope you found this blog post useful. Did I miss any benefits of air freight? Please, sound off in the comments! If you are looking to ship your goods by air, visit our website to find out what air freight solutions Greencarrier Freight Services offers.
