Common Challenges in Air Freight Shipping and Solutions

Mas-cn
3 min readSep 28, 2023

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Limitations on what may be transported; short windows of opportunity to act, fluctuating rates, and the risk of incurring extensive detention and demurrage fees for even minor infractions all contribute to these difficulties. Working together, customers and airfreight forwarders may find optimal solutions to the most common problems while executing an order.

When And How Is Air Cargo Tracked?

Tracking air cargo requires the cooperation of several entities, including the airline, freight forwarders, transport companies, and even GPS equipment. Air cargo monitoring typically occurs from the airports first to its final mile, including all customs approvals and intermediate steps. Manually monitoring shipments as they move between airports is an expensive, time-consuming, and arduous task.

There are many moving parts in airfreight delivery, but the human tracking method is different. For instance, weather circumstances at your departure or arrival airport might cause either flight delays or cancellations. The system will only provide one estimated time of arrival (ETA) for all connecting flights, regardless of how many there are or where they are going. In addition, when firms have to deal with several airlines and airports, manual air cargo monitoring may get highly difficult. Delays, missed shipments, and other issues arise because they have to do many tasks manually.

Frequent Difficulties in Shipping

● Learning the Language of the People

The most significant problem in shipping is the need for a common terminology. It may come as a surprise to learn that a lack of clarity on the side of the team searching for shipping solutions is the root cause of many of the most prevalent shipping issues.

● Protecting Goods in Transit from the Unexpected

The second typical difficulty is figuring out how to protect your cargo with insurance. Insurance is required when shipping abroad and may be required by certain local carriers. Cargo insurance safeguards commodities against damage or loss while in transportation, whereas transit coverage protects cargo while in transit.

Knowing the shipping carrier you are using for a specific cargo will allow you to get advice on insurance tailored to the particular risks involved with that shipment.

● Insufficient Openness Because of the Need for Human Intervention in Maintaining Records

Manual monitoring takes a lot of effort and time. Manual tracking often entails communicating with many parties, such as transporters and consignors, to verify information. Consequently, when a store receives the tracking information, it may need to be more accurate. This procedure might take several days and is subject to delays due to several inspections in different places.

● False declarations on customs forms or payment of international duties

● Customs paperwork may be a significant hassle when shipping internationally.

● As more companies search for ways to expand internationally, this issue will likely persist for the near future.

When sending a product overseas, it’s crucial to double-check all paperwork, including customs forms, customer forms, and duty declarations. Working with a third-party provider that can assist you in applying the necessary customs data to suitable cargo simplifies the complex international customs procedures.

Conclusion

We have little control over other threats, such as rising gas costs and trade protectionism. There is continuous investigation into potential replacements for oil-based fuels, but it will likely be decades before they are widely used. Moreover, the air freight shipping from China sector still has no say on trade protectionism.

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