The advantages of air freight are great to transport goods from one place to another. though you need to understand the process to determine whether it can bring the greatest advantages for your business or not.
This type of transport is best for perishable goods and expensive products, which require quick replenishment as well as products where buyers require immediate delivery.
The last few decade, the hyper growth of online shopping has increased the demand for air cargo due to the fact that consumers are now demanding of on-time delivery and safety, and being able to meet their demands is a major factor in businesses' competitiveness.
Type of aircraft in cargo industry:
- In Indonesia, Passenger planes are the most popular air cargo because contrary to freighters, passenger planes have restrictions on space and weight, but are popular due to their frequency of flight. This is why passenger planes account for more than 50 to 80 percent of all air freight.
- All-cargo carriers: Cargo planes that are exclusive or freighters, these come with floor rollers that are embedded to aid in the transfer of cargo into position and hook locks that lock the cargo. Some come with winches that elevate up or down cargo. Freighters come in different sizes:
- Wide-body freighter It comes with a main deck and a lower deck, each of which can be used to carry palletised and containerised cargo. It requires an extensive runway.Examples are: Boeing 747-8F Airbus A330 200F.
- Narrow-body freighterIt can transport palletised and containerised cargo in its primary (upper) deck. Also, it requires a runway that is long. Examples: Boeing 737-800.
- Feeder aircrafts: These are smaller turboprop or piston aircrafts which are able to take off from and landing on shorter runways. They are mostly used to transport cargo the cargo hubs and back.
Benefit vs Disadvantage of Air Cargo
Benefits of shipping via air
- speed: If you need to transport cargo quickly then ship it via air. The country of Indonesia, Air Cargo still is used to deliver goods since this is an archipelago state.
- Dependability Airlines operate with strict scheduling. This means the arrival and departure timings are very reliable.
- Security Airports and airlines maintain tight control of cargo which significantly reduces the chance of damage and theft.
- The coverage: Airlines provide extensive area of service with flights to and from all destinations around the globe. Furthermore, air cargo may be the sole alternative for transporting goods to and from countries that are landlocked.
Disadvantages of shipping via air
- cost: Shipping by air is more expensive than shipping via road or sea. Based on our own data the cost of air freight is 8-10 times more expensive than ocean shipping. When it comes to air freight, it's not suitable for cargo that is heavy due to the fact that it is charges are based on the volume of cargo and weight.
Air Cargo Types
Air cargo is usually classified as special or general. However, there are sub-categories:
1. General cargo: This typically comprises jewellery, electronics clothes, textiles, machines, pharmaceuticals, hardware as well as other consumer and retail products.
2. Special cargo: Items that require transport under certain conditions, for example, temperature control and protection packaging. Examples: fresh farm products and hazardous materials animal remains, live animals organs and human remains tissue samples artwork. The special cargo is further divided into:
- Over-dimensional cargo: These are heavy or large cargos that aren't able to fit into the cargo compartments of standard-body freighters, passenger planes or freighters, or are larger than the dimensions (length as well as breadth and width) of the pallets and containers that air transporters use. Over dimension cargo can be referred to under other names like over-sized cargo or out of gauge cargo and cargo that is over height. Examples: vehicles, boats heavy machinery, generators and plant assembly.
- Cargo for projects:This typically includes large complicated, high-value, or expensive equipment used in big projects, such as factories or refineries. The logistical aspects of project cargo facilitate the successful completion of such projects in a timely manner in line with budget. Industries that depend in project cargo are mining and oil and gas engineering, wind energy, and construction. Project cargo can be shipped in a single shipment or in multiple shipment. A shipment may comprise several equipment pieces or one. They can originate from a single location or multiple. Sometimes, the over-dimensional cargo is referred to in the category of project cargo.
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