What is Air Freight Transportation? What are its Advantages?

With the volume of e-commerce increasing globally, those who want to deliver their products to marketplaces quickly, and the technology developing in recent years; with the expansion of the number of aircraft, logistics companies serving in this field, and the increase in the number of airports, air transport, which provides logistical operations in the most practical way, has spread and gained more importance. Along with this expansion, questions regarding air transport have also begun to be frequently asked. In this article, we will try to find answers to such questions.

To learn about the documents used in air transport, you can read our relevant blog content at the link.

What is Air Transport?

Air transport is one of the fastest and most reliable methods in the transport sector. It allows for same-day shipments to different countries worldwide. All kinds of cargo, from document shipments to large product shipments on a tonnage basis, can be transported by vehicles that can be used in the air, such as airplanes, helicopters, and jets. In addition, it provides high-performance, rapid transport for shipments outside the general cargo status and for shipments requiring special storage processes.

Another most frequently preferred method in air transport is partial transport. In this method, products belonging to different people and going to the same direction are carried by the same aircraft, thereby reducing shipping costs and providing cost-effectiveness.

In summary, the type of aircraft to be used is determined by looking at the quantity, size, volume, and type of cargo you want to transport. If desired, after preparing the necessary documents and agreements, insurance is also made to ensure products are safely delivered to their destinations under professional conditions.

Which Cargoes are Transported in Air Transport?

• General cargo

• Special cargo

• We can group and present them as dangerous goods.

We can define cargo in the general cargo category as dry and clean cargo with no additional requirements such as special services or storage.

Cargoes that can be defined as dangerous goods:

• Chemical products

• Toxic

• Explosive

• Flammable

• Combustible

• Products containing substances with solvent content.

For the transportation of special cargo, there are stacking processes, special storage, documents, and services.

There are also some restrictions related to the weight and characteristics of the cargo. The cargo planned for shipment should not be too heavy in terms of tonnage. The transport of medicines and medical products that need to be transported urgently can be done by air. Apart from these, we can itemize the products that can be transported by air as follows:

• Consolidated cargo transport,

• Transit loading system transport,

• Bulky special transport systems,

• All kinds of manufactured products,

• Electronic goods,

• Project transport,

• Commodities,

• Documents or papers,

• Valuables,

• Products that will spoil within a short period, such as flowers.

What are the Advantages of Air Transport?

• Air transport differs from other transport methods in terms of the methods used, techniques, and efficiency. Firstly, it has the significant advantage of rapid shipping of the cargo to be transported. With air transport, easy access to overseas locations is provided, allowing for very fast shipments to transoceanic locations such as the USA, Canada, and Australia within 1-2 days. Thanks to this, on-time delivery to the recipient is ensured.

• Maximum safety standards are provided during transfer and handling processes. In addition, with the advantage of aircraft not having waiting times like traffic, goods are transported with high security.

• The operational process offers flexible planning advantages thanks to the presence of different airline companies, allowing the process to be planned in a more comprehensive manner.

• Products sensitive to adverse conditions such as impact, shock, and vibration are carried safely. Additionally, with the help of using state-of-the-art devices at airports, the risk of product loss and damage is very low.

• Moving with simplified procedures in customs processes, this transport system offers flexible planning advantages for a fast-operating process.

• Thanks to the developing logistics sector, air transport, which does not only offer port-to-port delivery, can also provide services such as door-to-door delivery, packaging, customs clearance, and warehousing.

What are the Disadvantages of Air Transport?

• Unit transport cost is high due to expensive aviation fuel.

• The inability to transport very heavy cargo is another disadvantage.

• It is disadvantageous in that it requires a second transport mode for door-to-door services.

What are the Characteristics of Air Transport?

There are many factors to keep in mind in air transport. In addition to factors such as the payload capacity and unit cost of the vehicles used in this transport, the weather conditions in the time frame the transport will be carried out are also of great importance. There may be flight activities that are delayed or cancelled due to meteorological conditions. Planning should be done by tracking meteorological conditions.

While 8% of cargo transport in the world is provided by air, transport operations carried out in an integrated manner with road and sea transport make things easier for many people.

Air transport is used as the most reliable method for transporting dangerous substances in the chemical industry.

Thanks to airports in every region and every city, regional air transport also offers advantages in the logistics sector in terms of accessibility.

International Air Transport

In international air transport; booking tracking, creation and tracking of bills of lading, cargo tracking, and logistics planning must be performed. In this way, the safety and tracking of cargo in international trade are ensured.

There are documents that must be prepared for air cargo. These documents are as follows:

• Booking information form

• Pre-shipping advice

• Delivery order (Ordino)

• HAWB printing

• MAWB printing/Shipping advice

• Bill of lading (Air Waybill)

• Proof of Delivery (POD) loading instruction

• Cargo damage form and cargo cost form

We recommend reading our blog content at the link to have a more comprehensive understanding of the documents used in air transport.

Thanks to the increasing volume of e-commerce in the world, the importance of these documents and air transport increases every day. Even though it is more costly compared to other modes of transport, its importance will multiply in the future.