Simple Introduction to the Air Cargo Industry

In the past decades, air cargo volumes have increased more rapidly than passenger volumes. Here we are going to identify the air cargo industry, the advantages and disadvantages of air transport, and more relevant details.

What is the “air cargo”?

Goods or products which are moving from one point to another point by mode of air transportation are called air cargo.

Air cargo Industry

The air cargo industry started in 1910.

Air cargo volumes have increased than passenger volumes in the past decades due to the improvement of global trading while speed delivery expectations fulfilling of customers.

The growth of online purchasing or online shopping and technological improvement is also a reason for the increasing air cargo industry.

What are the major commodities carried by air?

Fruits and vegetables
Flowers
Footwear
machinery and equipment
Fashion and appeal items
Jewelry and gems
Live animals
company raw material
Postal mail-Diplomatic mail, transshipment mail, company mail

9 Advantages of Air Cargo Transportation

1. Long distance transportaion

Mode of air can transport goods over a long distance at less time-consuming.

2. Speed of delivery

Air transportation is the speediest transportation mode in the world.

Perishable goods and products that are required on short notice can be moved quickly with the fast mode of transportation.

Delivery time is very important, less time-consuming to transport items from country to country, and seasonal products like appeals avoid the risk of being outdated.

3. Shipment Tracking facilities

These days most air cargo carriers provide shipment tracking facilities. It helps you to track and trace your shipment while prepare for preparing customs clearance and receiving.

4. Air freight reduces the cost of inventory

Quick and fast deliveries can reduce inventory levels. Keeping inventory means cost incurring. With the help of air transportation, you can order and receive the goods that you want in time. It avoids unnecessary inventory costs.

5. Can be sent your cargo anywhere in the world

These days most air express services and courier services are operated wide rage of the world. Also, they provide door-to-door services. It means you can be sent your package easily.

6. Low insurance premium cost

When compared to other modes of transportation air transportation is consuming a very short time, which means insurance premium cost is low. It is a savings to you.

7. Allows firms to enter the global market without any high capital investment

Import and export are easy with air transportation when you have to deal with an urgent shipment you choose air transportation. In this case, you have to pay the air freight costs only.

Assume that don’t have air cargo facility options, when you need to deal with other countries you need to maintain stores or company outlets in relevant countries. It is a huge cost of capital as well as maintenance. you can avoid such expenses by using air transportation.

8. High level of security and less risk of damages

With short time and limited capacity of volume transporting, air transportation has less risk of damages compared to other modes of transport

9. High reliable arrival and departure time

In sea transportation, we can not predict the arrival and departure times accurately. but air transport most of the time high reliable arrival and departure times. It is more convenient for the cargo sender as well as the cargo collector.

3 Disadvantages of Air Cargo Transportation

1. High transport cost

When compared to other modes of transport cost is less than air transportation.Because of high fuel cost and high infrastructure and infrastructure cost.

2. Less storage capacity

When compared to sea and rail transportation, an aircraft has a limited capacity

3. Restrictions of goods

Due to air transportation characteristics, there are some goods restricted to air transport. Such as petroleum, gases liquids, etc.

When do you need to select air transportation as the best option?

1. Urgent shipment

When you have to deliver within a short tie period you can use air transportation. Such as human remains, medicines, Blood, and vaccination items, transporting

International trading may have to deal with urgent shipments, then you can choose the air transportation option

Diplomatics mail

2. Accessibility difficult areas Transportation

If it is land transportation modes can not reach areas, you can use air transport mode

3. Perishable goods transportation

If you transport short-life cargo such as fruits and vegetables you need to immediately transport

4. High-value goods transportation

transporting gems and jewelry need high attention and high security, when compared to other modes of transport air has a shorter delivery time and security. For high-value cargo transporting you can use air mode.

What is an air cargo carrier?

Commonly known as cargo airlines and air freight carriers. They are carrying goods by air.

What are the main Air cargo service elements?

Now we move on to service elements of air cargo service it is helpful to know the air cargo industry.

Air Freight– For the purpose of carrying air cargo/freight.

Air mail-For the purpose of carrying mail by air.

Air Express-This created for the purpose of carrying air express.

Overnight Air Express provides services even at night time for one day shipping cargo or package in next day.

Types of Air cargo carriers

1. Integrated Carriers

Also called express carriers

Operate door-to-door freight operation network

Use their own aircraft because of higher reliability and capacity

Integrated carriers are more families with people as express carriers, they have their own feet services for air and land transportation.

They are mainly focused on shipment collection transportation and quick shipment delivery door-to-door step.

Integrated carriers usually handle a large number of parcels per hour, maybe thousands of parcels. So they can offer more competitive prices to customers.

And also they are offering a variety of services than normal air carriers.

Integrated or express carriers usually provide more time-sensitive services such as same-day delivery or next-day delivery.

Examples of integrated carries

FedEx

UPS

DHL

2. Combination Carriers

Combination airlines have facilities for carrying both passengers and cargo. It may have freight/cargo carriers and passenger carriers in its fleet. As well as combination carriers use “combi aircraft ” for the transport of both passengers and cargo in one aircraft.

Combination carriers are offering point-to-point services.

There is a low marginal cost. So they can offer low prices than integrated carriers