Air Freight Shipping Services
What is air freight?
Air freight moves your cargo by commercial or charter aircraft — the fastest international shipping mode. It's the right call when speed is critical, cargo is high-value and compact, or ocean transit would miss a market window. You pay per chargeable weight (CW): the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm, divided by 6,000).
Holo Cargo returns air freight quotes, with a named operator managing your shipment from pickup to delivery.
How air freight pricing works
Air freight is billed on chargeable weight. The standard volumetric divisor is 6,000 (cm³/kg). A 10 kg carton measuring 60 × 50 × 40 cm has a volumetric weight of 20 kg — so it bills at 20 kg.
Key air freight charges:
| Charge | Description |
|---|---|
| AFR — Air Freight Rate | Per-chargeable-kg rate, the main freight cost |
| FSC — Fuel Surcharge | Fluctuates with jet fuel index |
| SSC — Security Surcharge | Mandatory airline/airport security fee |
| AWB Fee | Airway Bill issuance fee |
Customs brokerage, pick-up/delivery, and cargo insurance are quoted separately. See customs brokerage for clearance costs.
Indicative transit times
Transit times are indicative and confirmed at booking. Airport-to-airport; add 1–2 days each side for customs clearance and pickup/delivery.
| Short-haul (less than 3,000 km) | ~2 days |
|---|---|
| Medium-haul | ~3 days |
| Long-haul | ~5 days |
When air freight is worth it
Air makes commercial sense when one or more of these apply:
- Time-critical cargo — product launches, perishables, production line restocks
- High value-to-weight ratio — electronics, pharmaceuticals, luxury goods (insurance and holding cost offset the rate premium)
- Small urgent parcels — where ocean CFS overhead would cost as much as the air rate
- Routing gaps — lanes where vessel frequency is low or transit is unpredictable
- Just-in-time supply chains — minimal safety stock, tight replenishment windows
For heavier or bulkier cargo where a few extra weeks are acceptable, FCL ocean freight or LCL ocean freight will be significantly cheaper per kilogram.
Special and dangerous goods
Air freight accepts a limited range of dangerous goods (IATA DGR compliant), hazmat, and temperature-sensitive cargo — but classification, packaging, and documentation requirements are strict. Declare cargo accurately at booking; misdeclaration is a serious liability. See special cargo for details.
Move types and Incoterms
Air freight is available door-to-door, door-to-airport, airport-to-door, and airport-to-airport. The split of responsibility depends on your Incoterm — CIP and CPT are the most common air freight terms. See Incoterms explained.