Air freight is the movement of commercial cargo by aircraft, either in the hold of a scheduled passenger flight, on a dedicated freighter, or on a charter. It is the fastest international freight mode, typically 1 to 7 days door-to-door depending on service level, and it is priced on chargeable weight rather than piece count. Businesses use it for time-critical, high-value or perishable goods, where the cost of delay is higher than the cost of the freight.

Chargeable weight is whichever is greater: the actual gross weight of a shipment, or its volumetric weight, calculated as length x width x height in centimetres divided by 6,000 for each piece. Airlines charge on the higher of the two figures, so low-density, bulky cargo is usually billed on volume rather than weight. In practice, reducing carton dimensions often cuts an air freight bill further than reducing weight does.

Air freight cost is the chargeable weight multiplied by the rate per kilo for that lane and service level, plus fuel and security surcharges, airline and terminal handling, and any customs clearance, screening, collection or final delivery you need. Rates move with capacity and season, so a quote holds for a defined period rather than indefinitely. Our estimate tool above gives an indicative range in seconds; a firm quote needs your dimensions, commodity and lane.

Express air freight from China to the UK typically takes 2 to 4 days airport to airport, or around 4 to 6 days door to door once collection, customs clearance and final delivery are included. Deferred and consolidated services usually run 5 to 8 days door to door at a lower rate. Chinese New Year, Q4 peak season and public holidays extend all of these, so book earlier through those windows.

Express air freight books your shipment onto the first available uplift as its own consignment, giving the fastest transit and a firm ETA at the point of booking. Consolidated air freight groups your cargo with other compatible shipments on a scheduled service, which lowers the cost per kilo in exchange for fixed cut-off times and a slightly longer transit. Many customers split their volume, moving urgent lines express and planned replenishment consolidated.

Air freight costs significantly more per kilo than sea freight, but the comparison is rarely that simple. Air moves in days rather than weeks, which releases working capital sooner, cuts the safety stock you have to hold, and avoids the cost of a stock-out. For low-value, high-volume goods, sea is almost always the right answer. For high-value, seasonal, perishable or time-critical cargo, the total landed cost of air is often lower than the rate card suggests.

In most cases yes, Woodland Group can act as your customs broker.

Yes. Woodland Group is IATA DGR trained and ships dangerous goods by air as standard, including lithium batteries, aerosols, paints and chemicals. We handle classification, packing instructions, shipper's declarations, labelling and airline acceptance in-house. Send us the safety data sheet and we will confirm what can fly, on which aircraft type, and what it will cost, before you commit to anything.

Air freight emissions are calculated by multiplying the chargeable weight by the distance flown to give tonne-kilometres, then applying an emission factor for the aircraft type and route. Woodland Group reports CO2e by shipment, mode and lane, so the figure in your sustainability report matches what actually flew. Where a lane allows it, we will also model consolidation, modal shift and SAF book and claim options to bring that number down.

You do not have to appoint a separate customs broker, but every commercial air freight import needs a customs declaration filed by someone authorised to do it. Woodland Group files import and export entries in-house across the UK, Ireland and the USA, holds AEO status in the UK and Ireland, and is C-TPAT certified in the USA. Keeping clearance with your air freight forwarder means one party is accountable for both the freight and the entry.

Woodland Group provides international air freight services across 163 countries, connecting businesses across the UK, Europe, North America, Asia and wider global markets. Our network supports major transatlantic, European and Asian trade lanes, including established air freight connections with China, India, the USA and Ireland, alongside wider coverage across markets including Vietnam and Taiwan.

For businesses moving goods across multiple markets, our teams can coordinate air freight, customs and onward delivery across the wider journey rather than treating each lane in isolation.