Air Freight from China - Express & Economy Air Cargo

All Services

Air freight from China is the fastest shipping mode for time-sensitive cargo. For exporters shipping electronics, medical devices, fashion, and urgent manufacturing parts, air cargo delivers in days rather than weeks. Great Hensen provides air freight services from China's four largest international airports - PVG, PEK, TAO, and CAN - to airports worldwide. We handle standard cargo, dangerous goods under IATA DGR, temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals, and oversized items requiring charter or specialty freighter aircraft.

Air Freight Services

Express Air Freight (3-5 Days)

Express air freight delivers door-to-door in 3-5 days with priority boarding on the next available flight. This service includes pickup from your factory or warehouse, export customs clearance at the departure airport, priority cargo loading, and import clearance plus final delivery at destination. Real-time tracking is provided from departure to delivery. Express is the best choice for urgent orders, production-line-critical parts, medical supplies, and time-sensitive retail shipments where every day of transit affects revenue.

Economy Air Freight (5-8 Days)

Economy air freight takes 5-8 days door-to-door and costs roughly 20-40% less per kilogram than express service. Shipments are consolidated with other cargo on scheduled flights rather than given priority boarding. Economy service works well for regular production shipments, seasonal inventory restocking, and non-urgent cargo where predictable cost matters more than absolute speed.

Consolidated Air Freight

Consolidated air freight combines multiple smaller shipments from different shippers into a single air waybill (AWB) to achieve lower per-kilogram rates. The minimum chargeable weight is typically 45 kg. Consolidation is the most cost-effective air freight option for shipments that do not fill a full pallet or ULD (unit load device). For shipments under 500 kg, consolidation often cuts the per-kg rate by 30-50% compared to direct air freight at small-volume rates. See our consolidated freight trends analysis for current market data.

Charter Services

Full aircraft charter provides dedicated cargo capacity for shipments that are too large, too urgent, or too specialized for scheduled flights. Charter is used for humanitarian aid deliveries, factory emergency shipments (production line down), large-scale project cargo, oversized items that exceed standard aircraft pallet dimensions, and time-critical shipments where scheduled flights lack available capacity. Charter pricing depends on aircraft type, route, and timing. We source capacity from a network of cargo airlines and freight operators.

Routes & transit times

Below are standard transit times for air freight from China's major airports to key worldwide destinations. Times shown are for express service (door-to-door). Economy service adds 2-3 days.

Route	Departure	Destination	Transit (Express)	Frequency
China to USA	PVG, PEK, TAO, CAN	LAX, JFK, ORD, SFO	3-5 days	Daily
China to Europe	PVG, PEK, CAN	FRA, AMS, LHR, CDG	3-5 days	Daily
China to UK	PVG, CAN	LHR, MAN	4-6 days	Daily
China to Australia	PVG, CAN	SYD, MEL	3-5 days	5x weekly
China to Middle East	PVG, CAN	DXB, DOH	3-5 days	Daily
China to Southeast Asia	PVG, CAN, TAO	SIN, BKK, KUL	2-4 days	Daily
China to Germany	PVG, PEK	FRA, MUC	3-5 days	Daily
China to Singapore	PVG, CAN	SIN	2-3 days	Daily

Cargo types we handle

General Cargo

Electronics, textiles, machinery parts, consumer goods, and manufactured items make up the bulk of air freight from China. These shipments typically travel on standard airline pallets (PMC/PAG) or in lower-deck containers (AKE). General cargo moves through the standard air freight process: pickup, export screening, consolidation, flight, import clearance, and final delivery.

Dangerous Goods (DG) - IATA DGR

We handle dangerous goods by air under IATA DGR, including lithium batteries (UN3480 lithium ion, UN3481 lithium ion packed with equipment, UN3090 lithium metal, UN3091 lithium metal packed with equipment), chemicals (Class 3 flammable liquids, Class 8 corrosives, Class 9 miscellaneous), aerosols, and perfumes. Every DG air shipment requires: MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet), UN38.3 test report (for lithium batteries), IATA DGR declaration completed by a certified DG professional, and IATA-compliant packaging and labeling. See our DG freight service page for full dangerous goods capabilities across sea, air, and rail.

Temperature-Sensitive Cargo

Pharmaceuticals, vaccines, biologics, and perishable foods require active or passive cold chain management during air transit. Active containers use built-in refrigeration powered by aircraft electrical systems. Passive solutions use phase-change materials and insulated packaging validated for the required duration. We coordinate with airlines that offer temperature-controlled cargo facilities at major hub airports.

High-Value Cargo

For shipments of high-value electronics, luxury goods, precision instruments, and sensitive equipment, we provide secure handling with chain-of-custody documentation, insurance coverage, and dedicated cargo supervision. High-value air freight moves through premium handling channels at all transfer points.

Oversized Cargo

Cargo exceeding standard aircraft pallet dimensions (typically 318 cm x 244 cm on main-deck freighters) requires specialty freighter aircraft or charter. We coordinate with operators of B747F, B777F, and AN-124 aircraft for oversized air freight. Our project cargo division handles oversized items by both air and sea.

Air freight cost factors

Air freight is priced by chargeable weight - the greater of actual gross weight or volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated as: Length x Width x Height (cm) / 6000. A shipment weighing 80 kg but occupying 0.6 cubic meters has a volumetric weight of 100 kg and is charged at 100 kg.

Rate factors include the origin-destination pair (high-volume lanes like PVG-LAX cost less than thin routes), weight bracket (shipments above 100 kg, 300 kg, and 500 kg unlock progressively lower per-kg rates), service level (express vs. economy), and seasonality (Q4 October-December peak typically increases rates by 40-80%).

Typical consolidated rates in mid-2026:

• China to USA: $3.50-6.00/kg for shipments 100-500 kg
• China to Europe: $3.00-5.50/kg for shipments 100-500 kg
• Fuel surcharge and security surcharge are applied to the base rate and adjusted monthly based on jet fuel indices
• DG cargo surcharge: add $50-150 for DG documentation, packaging verification, and carrier acceptance coordination

Consolidating multiple smaller shipments into one air waybill and booking 7+ days in advance typically yields the best rates. Request a quote for your specific shipment details.

Why Great Hensen for air freight

• IATA-accredited cargo agent: We hold IATA Cargo Agent accreditation, giving us direct access to airline cargo booking systems and published rates from all major carriers operating from China.
• DG specialists: Lithium battery documentation, IATA DGR compliance checks, carrier acceptance pre-approval, and packaging verification are handled in-house by certified DG professionals. We ship DG cargo by air daily from PVG, PEK, and TAO. See our coverage of 2026 lithium battery shipping requirements for current compliance standards.
• Multi-airline partnerships: We book capacity across multiple carriers for competitive rates and routing flexibility. If one airline has no space on a given day, we shift to the next available option without delay.
• Sea-air combined transport: For cost-sensitive shipments that are not urgent enough for direct air freight, we offer sea-air: ship from China to a Middle East or Southeast Asia hub port (Dubai, Singapore), then fly to the final destination. This saves 30-50% compared to direct air freight while still cutting total transit by 50-65% compared to all-sea. See our general logistics FAQ for more combined transport options.

Frequently Asked Questions