Logistics by air has become an almost essential part of foreign trade, both because of the high price of some goods and because of the quickness in delivery end clients demand.
Air freight offers great advantages for moving cargoes from one country to another or within the same country. Though you need to know how it works to see if it offers the best benefits for your company and still be profitable.
Using this type of transportation works better for perishable or high-priced products, products that demand fast restocking, and products for which buyers demand urgent deliveries.
In the last years, the boom of e-commerce has increased the demand for air freight because consumers have become very exigent about delivery times and safety and satisfying them has become a factor for companies’ competitiveness.
As a means of transport that shortens distances, air freight is ideal for exporting certain types of goods. The following are some of its advantages:
Nevertheless, air freight goes as far as the budget allows. Higher costs, less cargo capacity when compared to sea transportation, and thorough requirements for transporting certain products or substances considered hazardous, are some its limitations.
Therefore, it is important to carry out a cost-benefit analysis to find out if your products – either because of their high price, obsolescence potential, or delivery demands of your clients – are worth paying the extra cost of air freight.
Several players have a role in the air freight of exports goods:
Logistics and integration companies, such as Solistica, are tasked with coordinating all the above services. The main function of these logistics companies is to act as direct intermediaries between the suppliers and the consignees and to oversee the efficiency of the whole logistics chain. Their management simplifies processes, guarantee the integrity of the cargo, and shorten delivery times.
The logistics chain by air includes these steps:
Aiming to clarify which type of air freight you should hire, it is important to make the distinction of what constitutes air cargo and what is a parcel; this is especially useful for e-commerce companies.
When a product’s distribution demands using diverse means of transport, different legal codes come into play that will classify goods in different ways, even for the same cargo.
According to Mexican laws and international regulations, cargoes of up to 31.5 kilograms in weight and moved over land protected by the truck bill of lading or service guide are considered parcels. Once a plane is used to transport the parcel, it becomes air cargo and will be protected by an airway bill. Once it lands and is transported in trucks or vans, it becomes a parcel again.
The combination of these two services is known as multimodal logistics, the core of door-to-door logistics; door-to-door means from the moment suppliers, or senders, entrust the cargo to a logistics company, until the cargo arrives to its destination.
The complexity of air logistics processes – which involves handling the goods to guarantee their integrity and on-time delivery, and the processing of the necessary exports and imports documents – demands the search for an ally that brings you customized solutions.
Solistica offers a wide assortment of services, including multimodal transportation, to help you meet your needs, and ensure the efficiency of your company’s supply chain and its competitiveness.