I. Definition of Air Freight
Air freight, or air transport, is a mode of transportation that uses aircraft as the transport vehicle between the origin airport (port of departure) and the destination airport (port of destination).
Major domestic export airports include Hong Kong (HKG), Shanghai (PVG), Guangzhou (CAN), Beijing (PEK), and Shenzhen (SZX).
Other airports include Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Kunming, Xi'an, and Nanjing International Airports.
Air Freight Methods
Scheduled Airline Transportation: Scheduled airlines refer to aircraft with fixed departure times, routes, originating stations, stopovers, and destinations. To maximize aircraft utilization and reduce freight costs, cargo is often carried in the belly of passenger/cargo aircraft. This is a major component of global international air freight capacity.
Chartered carrier transportation: Divided into two modes: full aircraft charter and partial charter.
Full aircraft charter: Chartering an entire aircraft. This refers to an airline or charter agent leasing an entire aircraft to a charterer according to the terms and rates agreed upon in advance in the contract, for transporting goods from one airport or airport to a designated destination.
Partial charter: A transportation method in which several freight forwarding companies jointly charter an aircraft, or an airline sells cargo space on an aircraft to several freight forwarding companies for cargo loading.
Air express service: A courier service provided by a courier company using its fleet or in cooperation with an airline to shippers. Upon arrival at the destination, goods are picked up by a designated person at the airport, customs procedures are completed, and the goods are delivered directly to the consignee (desk to desk). (service)
II. Main Characteristics of Air Freight
1. High transport speed
2. Not limited by terrain conditions, but affected by weather
3. Relatively high freight costs
4. Limited carrying capacity, especially for large quantities of goods
5. Poor accessibility – air transport usually only goes to the airport, making door-to-door passenger and cargo transport difficult, requiring transshipment by other means of transport (mainly trucks)
III. Related Terms in Air Freight
Air Freight Market
Air Freight Forwarder
Flight
Flight
Operating flight
Flight
Flight
Based on a flight schedule, a flight is an operational flight conducted on a designated route using a designated aircraft type, on a designated date and time.
Flights are divided into scheduled flights and non-scheduled flights based on whether the time is fixed.
Airport
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
International Air Transport Association (IATA)
International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (IFA) FIATA
China International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFA)
Aircraft Types Used
Aircraft used for civil aviation are mainly Boeing and Airbus, categorized as narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
Narrow-body aircraft: Fuselage width approximately 3 meters, fewer than 200 seats, single aisle; such as A321, A320, B737, 757, etc.
Wide-body aircraft: Fuselage width over 4.7 meters, more than 200 seats, twin aisle; such as A330, A300, A350, B747, B777, B767, MD-11, etc.
Passenger aircraft can be used for cargo, but baggage requirements must be met first. Passenger aircraft have a cargo capacity ranging from 3 to 15 tons, depending on the model.
Wide-body passenger/cargo aircraft Aircraft with a typical cargo capacity ranges from 20 to 60 tons. Most aircraft have two cargo decks, with passengers on the upper deck and cargo on the lower deck. Freighter aircraft, on the other hand, carry cargo on both decks; representative models include the B74F and A33F.
IV. Air Cargo Codes
Air cargo codes are generally determined in one of three ways:
Country Code (two-letter): Abbreviated English name of the country, e.g., China (CN), Brazil (BR), USA (US), Canada (CA), Australia (AU), France (FR)
City Code (three-letter): Abbreviated English name of the city, e.g., Athens (ATH), Paris (PAR), Rome (ROM), Moscow (MOW), London (LON)
Airport Code (three-letter): Abbreviated English name of the city. Some airport codes are the same as city codes, such as Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA).
However, some new airports have different city and airport codes, using abbreviated airport names, e.g., New York JFK (John F. Kennedy International Airport) and Paris CDG (Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport). Airports (e.g., Airport) are all abbreviations of the main letters of airport names.
Some airports use abbreviations of English city names followed by X or G, such as Hong Kong Airport (HKG), Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG), Shenzhen Airport (SZX), and Los Angeles Airport (LAX).
Other abbreviations may be used due to foreign translations, such as Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) and Guangzhou Airport (CAN).
V. Airline Codes
IATA uses three types of airline codes:
① Two-letter codes: Consisting of two English letters or one English letter and one Arabic numeral, this is currently the most commonly used.
② Three-letter codes: Consisting of three English letters: Used by regulatory authorities, but less common.
③ Three-digit codes: Used on tickets, often referred to as the bill of lading number prefix.
Examples:
Air China: Two-letter code: CA; Three-letter code: CCA; Ticket code: 999; Shenzhen Airlines: ZH, CSJ, 479; China Southern Airlines: CZ, CSN, 784
