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Air Freight & Air Cargo Shipping: Air Freight Charges, Rates, Costs & Quotes

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Air freight costs and international and express air freight rates per kg

Global importers and exporters use air cargo when they need to move goods around the world quickly and reliably. While 90% of imports and exports are shipped by ocean freight, air freight connects the world faster, cutting China-US freight shipping time from 20-30 days by ocean to only three days by air cargo.

International air freight and express freight shipments are not the same things.

Express air freight is typically handled by one company (such as DHL, UPS, or FedEx) that manages the entire shipment lifecycle and ships door-to-door in under five days. Express air freight shipments are usually smaller than air freight (less than one cubic meter and 200 kilograms).

International air freight shipments can be significantly larger and may move across multiple carriers during shipment. As a matter of fact, the largest cargo airplane, the Anatov 225, can hold an entire train.

Pre-COVID-19, international air cargo rates typically ranged from approximately $2.50-$5.00 per kilogram, depending on the type of cargo and available space. Costs rose sharply in February 2020 when COVID-19 began a period of severe disruptions in ocean freight and consumer demand, with air cargo rates reaching a range of $4.00-$8.00 per kilogram. As of early 2023, rates have dropped to around $3.00-$7.00 per kilogram, which is still higher than pre-pandemic rates, likely due to increased fuel and labor costs.

How to calculate air freight cost

Looking to calculate your air freight cost? If you want a freight quote for your next shipment, just enter your info to get an instant freight shipping quote below!

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Air freight shipping prices and costs

When it comes to air freight shipping, weight and volume are key factors. Air carriers will charge by either volumetric weight (also known as dimensional weight) or actual weight, depending on which is more expensive.

To calculate volumetric weight for air shipping, multiply the item’s volume in cubic meters by 167. So, let’s say you have a package with the following measurements: W: 40cm, H: 40cm L:40. This means that the volume is .064 (the product of all sides divided by one million). Multiply this by 167 and you get a volumetric weight of 10.67 kg.

If the volumetric weight exceeds the actual weight of the product, the volumetric weight becomes the chargeable weight. For light air shipments, you can use this chargeable weight calculator to work out whether your shipment will be charged by actual weight or dimensional weight.

If you book freight on freightos.com, no need to calculate your chargeable weight – our platform calculates it automatically.

The benefits of air freight

There are three main benefits to shipping by air:

Speed – Airplanes are about 30 times faster than ocean liners. Passenger jets cruise at 575 mph, while slow-steaming ocean liners move at 16-18 mph. That means an air freight shipment can take merely five days from a factory in China to a warehouse in the United States. Use this transit time calculator, based on data from real recent shipments to get estimates of transit times for air shipping.
Reliability – Shipping by air provides better tracking and greater certainty that your goods will get to the right place at the right time.
Protection – Goods are more likely to be damaged when traveling by ocean freight shipping than by air shipping. This makes air freight a good option for fragile items.

When shouldn’t I ship by air?

Here are some of the drawbacks to shipping by air:

Cost – Air freight comes with a hefty price tag compared to ocean freight. Comparing air and ocean freight, a medium size 2000 lbs box from Shenzhen, China to Los Angeles, USA, can cost $1,500 by ocean but a whopping $8,000 or more by air. However, with price changes due to supply chain disruptions, this difference may be lower.
CO2 emissions – Air freight leads to far more emissions. For example, according to UK government research, 2 tons shipped for 5,000 kilometers by ocean will lead to 150 kg of CO2 emissions, compared to 6,605 kg of CO2 emissions by air. Definitely not the greenest way to ship.
Heavy shipments – Ever since the 1960s, freight shipping has revolved around shipping containers, which are great for shipping large, heavy items. Air freight is priced based on both size and weight, which can scale price very quickly.

What goods are generally shipped via air freight?

Since air cargo is expensive, it’s usually limited to smaller, high-value goods or time-sensitive items, such as:

Electronics. Steve Jobs famously purchased the entire available air freight capacity along key Asia-US routes to ship the first iMac prior to the holiday season.
Apparel. Seasonal trends in clothing can shift fast. As a result, companies generally need to move clothing from factories to stores as quickly as possible. Clothing’s small size and high value additionally make air freight a worthwhile expense.
Pharmaceuticals. Given their small size and value, medical goods are frequently shipped by air.
Documents and samples. DHL Global Forwarding actually got started by shipping ocean freight documents by air to expedite release along a new West Coast-Hawaii ocean line. Air remains the most cost-effective method of shipping documents.
Seasonal shipments. Whatever the product is, if there’s high international demand for a product that requires bolstering down a supply chain, it will generally be shipped by air.

Air freight shipping rates & charges

Beyond the expense of air freight, which is calculated based on the cost above, the total cost to ship by air will also likely include:

Fuel surcharges
Security surcharges
Container freight station/terminal handling charges
Airport transfers

In addition, for door-to-door costs, the price will also include air cargo services, including:

Customs brokerage
Pickup and delivery
Cargo insurance
Accessorial charges

Are international air freight quotes and air freight prices changing?

International air freight usage was growing slowly, with less than 1% growth in 2015 among the world’s top freight forwarders, according to Transport Intelligence. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said that air freight growth only hit 1.6% in 2019, down from 5% in 2014.

One reason for this was increased reliance on ocean freight. However, with long delays and volatile transit times plaguing ocean freight, more importers and exporters moved to air cargo.

Since March 2020, air cargo rates have doubled, driven by constrained capacity, limited passenger travel due to restrictions, increased consumer demand, and other factors resulting from the pandemic. On the other hand, air passenger travel is stabilized, freeing up more belly cargo space. However, prices are still high, with importers and exporters often sticking with ocean freight if they can afford the time.

Most companies that import or export goods internationally still do everything in their power to take advantage of cheaper ocean freight quotes, leaving only the most urgent shipments for air.

Do you need to know the airport code for, say, Shanghai-Pudong International Airport? Check out this handy Airport Code Finder. It’s PVG, by the way.

The post Air Freight & Air Cargo Shipping: Air Freight Charges, Rates, Costs & Quotes appeared first on Freightos.

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FBA Calculator: Amazon Shipping Calculator

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1 heure ago

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6 juillet 2026

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How to Estimate Amazon Freight Rates

Calculating potential Amazon FBA freight costs? This Amazon FBA shipping calculator returns shipping estimates from the supplier address, or nearest port, shipping directly to Amazon fulfillment centers. This tool is perfect for freight forwarders. Not shipping to an Amazon warehouse? Use our general freight rate calculator. Check estimated transit times with our freight transit time calculator. Find a list of Amazon FBA Fulfillment Centers with this map of Amazon FBA warehouse locations.

Select whether you are shipping full containers or boxes/pallets.

Enter your load dimensions, weight, quantities, origin, and Amazon fulfillment center.

Search!

About the Amazon FBA Shipping Calculator

Use this Amazon FBA Calculator, specially designed for Amazon FBA shipments, to calculate shipping costs from your supplier’s factory to an Amazon fulfillment center location. Amazon has strict requirements regarding international shipments and Freightos has built these requirements into its quoting process.

Unlike any other freight rate estimator, Freightos’ freight rate calculator and Amazon FBA calculator use real freight data to calculate instant, all-in freight quotes, including surcharges and freight costs. This calculation takes into account dimensional weight. Our data is based on live freight rates from dozens of global freight forwarders, helping us provide you with accurate, real-time quotes.

What’s Included in the Amazon FBA Shipping Calculator

The Amazon Shipping Calculator includes all fees and surcharges available for trucking, air and ocean shipping. It does not include customs duties associated with specific commodities. Since this estimator is unique in that it relies on live data from real freight companies, it may not have global coverage for every route you search.

If you’re looking for fully binding quotes that you can book online, check out the Freightos Marketplace.

The post FBA Calculator: Amazon Shipping Calculator appeared first on Freightos.

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Unifying the Freightos Identity – ONE Freightos: Building One Company

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2 heures ago

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6 juillet 2026

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Global supply chains are becoming increasingly digital, AI is accelerating how work gets done, and customers are no longer looking for standalone software to solve individual problems. They increasingly expect connected platforms that bring together data, workflows, and decision-making across the entire freight lifecycle.

That shift requires a different kind of technology partner.

Over the past several months, we have been evolving our operation as a company. We have simplified decision-making, strengthened accountability, aligned teams around shared priorities, and focused our investments behind a common vision. Internally, we call this ONE Freightos.

Today, our external identity is evolving to reflect that same reality.

Bringing our products together under a single Freightos brand is not simply a branding exercise. It is the natural next step in building one company, and delivering an interconnected digital ecosystem where data and workflows operate seamlessly. .

An Evolution of Scale: Matching the Industry’s Shifting Needs

Over the past decade, Freightos has built one of the world’s largest digital freight networks, connecting carriers, freight forwarders, importers, exporters, and logistics providers across global trade.

Along the way, we expanded our capabilities through innovation, strategic acquisitions, and the development of specialized products serving different parts of the freight ecosystem.

Those products have been successful because they solve meaningful customer problems.

But as the industry evolves, customers increasingly expect something bigger than individual solutions.

They want a trusted technology partner that helps them make better decisions, connect more easily with trading partners, automate more workflows, and operate more efficiently across the entire logistics journey.

That is exactly where Freightos is headed.

Our ambition is not simply to offer great logistics software. Our ambition is to build the connected platform where procurement, pricing, booking, payments, data, and decision intelligence work together to help customers move freight more efficiently.

Brand unification is an important milestone on that journey.

A Simpler Experience for Customers

As our capabilities have grown, so has the number of brands representing different parts of our business.

Each of these brands has built deep trust within its respective segment. However, as these capabilities become more interconnected, bringing our portfolio together under the Freightos name makes it easier for our partners to unlock the full value of our network. This creates a simpler and more consistent experience making it easier for customers to understand who we are, what we offer, and how our solutions work together as a platform.

To support that vision, our products will now clearly reflect the customers they serve:

Freightos for Forwarders – our digital platform for freight forwarders, bringing together Rate & Quote, Booking, Sales Portal, Payments, and other workflow solutions under a single experience.

Freightos for Airlines – our technology platform enabling airlines with digital distribution, interlining, eBooking, and payment capabilities.

7LFreight by Freightos – our North American domestic freight procurement platform. Given its strong market recognition, it will initially retain its identity while becoming more deeply connected to the Freightos platform before full integration.

Freightos Enterprise – our enterprise procurement, tender management, and market intelligence platform for multinational importers and exporters.

Freightos Marketplace – our marketplace connecting importers and exporters with freight forwarders through instant pricing, booking, and shipment management.

Our public digital presence is now centered around freightos.com, providing a single destination to discover our platform and solutions.

For existing customers, nothing changes operationally. Accounts, logins, integrations, contracts, and workflows remain exactly as they are today.

Built Around the Success of Forwarders

Throughout this evolution, one principle remains unchanged.

Freightos succeeds when our customers succeed.

That is especially true for the freight forwarding community, which remains at the center of our strategy.

Everything we build is designed to help forwarders work more efficiently, connect with more carriers, automate more of their operations, and deliver better experiences to their own customers.

By bringing our capabilities together, we can deliver greater value than any individual product could on its own.

More Than a New Brand

This announcement is about much more than a new name or a new website.

It reflects the company Freightos has become—and the company we are continuing to build.

ONE Freightos is our operating model. It is how we execute, how we innovate, and how we create value for customers.

By bringing our products, teams, and customer experience together under one identity, we can focus our investments, accelerate innovation, simplify engagement, and deliver an increasingly connected experience across global freight.

Our vision remains clear.

To build the platform that connects the global freight ecosystem through better data, smarter workflows, and more intelligent decision-making.

This brand evolution is another important milestone on that journey.

And we’re just getting started.

The post Unifying the Freightos Identity – ONE Freightos: Building One Company appeared first on Freightos.

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Air Waybill (AWB): Meaning, Number, Types, and Examples

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2 heures ago

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6 juillet 2026

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What is an air waybill (AWB)?

An air waybill, also called an air consignment note, is a required shipping document for air freight. It contains detailed information about your shipment and allows it to be tracked.

An AWB is a legally binding document when signed by all relevant parties.

Here is some of the information found in an AWB:

Carrier details
Consignor/shipper details
Consignee/receiver details
Origin airport code
Destination airport code
Quantity of items (number of packages or pallets)
Description of goods (weight, dimensions, condition)
HS code
Value of goods for customs clearance
Special handling instruction, if required
Payment information and shipping charges
Insurance details
Contract terms and conditions
Date, time, and place of contract execution
An 11-digit number

What is an air waybill used for?

Used for both domestic and international air freight forwarding, the AWB serves a number of functions:

Invoice or bill of freight
Contract between carrier and shipper
Proof of receipt by the carrier
Certificate of insurance for air freight
Essential document for customs declaration
Instrument to convey handling instructions

How can you get an air waybill?

For air shipments, the carrier and freight forwarders provide the air waybills. If you are an importer or exporter, your freight forwarder will share the air waybill with you.

Every international air waybill is issued in at least eight sets of different colors:

Green: Carrier’s copy
Blue: Shipper’s copy
Pink: Receiver’s copy
Yellow or Brown: Receipt of goods
White: 4 or more copies for various purposes, such as customs and airport

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What is an air waybill number?

An air waybill number (AWB number) is a unique identification code used to track your shipment. It is an 11-digit number divided into three parts. Here’s an air waybill example:

AWB NUMBER
11-digits
99953729071

First three digits
Carrier / Airline prefix
999

Next seven digits
Serial number of AWB
5372907

Last digit
Check digit. This number is equal to the remainder when the 7-digit serial number is divided by 7. For example, when 5372907 is divided by 7, the remainder is 1.
1

What are the different types of air waybills?

There are two types of air waybills: master air waybill (MAWB) and house air waybill (HAWB).

A MAWB is issued by a carrier to a freight forwarder. It can include a number of different shipments because when freight forwarders book freight with a carrier, they consolidate shipments and book them together. The MAWB is the forwarder’s contract with the carrier for all of those shipments.

A HAWB is issued by the freight forwarder to each individual importer or exporter after their shipment is picked up. It includes only their specific goods.

Here are some more details about these different types of air waybills:

Master Air Waybill (MAWB)
House Air Waybill (HAWB)

Has the airline or carrier’s logo
Does not have the carrier logo

Issued by the actual carrier or their agent
Issued by the freight forwarder

States the terms and conditions of the carrier
States the terms and conditions of the forwarding company

Contains only one number: the MAWB number
Contains two numbers: HAWB and MAWB

Adheres to IATA rules or any of the international air conventions
May or may not be subject to regulations put forth by IATA or other international air conventions

Air waybill vs bill of lading

An air waybill is similar to a bill of lading (BoL): both are contracts issued by freight carriers. However, air waybills are used only for air freight and bills of lading are used for ocean freight as well as rail and other freight.

Here are some more differences between an air waybill and bill of lading:

Air Waybill (AWB)
Bill of Lading (BoL)

Used for air freight
Used for ocean, road, and rail freight

Non-negotiable
Can be negotiable or non-negotiable

Signed by shipper and carrier
Signed by shipper, carrier, and receiver

Acts as a legal contract of carriage
Acts as a title and receipt of delivered goods

Not used with Incoterms: FAS, FOB, CIF, and CFR
Can be used with all incoterms

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