International Airfreight from Zero

Getting Your Shipment Ready for Airfreight

You have received an order for a product that needs to be flown to the consignee.

I shall leave out the minor matters and concentrate on what you need to focus on to get the freight moving. All the gory details can wait until later.

First, Establish the Essential Information

Before doing anything else, find out:

  1. What are the terms of sale? Who is paying for the shipping?
  2. What is the Incoterm? Remember, there are two parts: the three-letter term and the named place.
  3. Has an arrival date at the consignee's facility been specified?
  4. Has the consignee requested insurance cover?
  5. Will the consignee cover the insurance?
  6. What are the local public holidays at the consignee's location during the period when the freight is expected to arrive?
  7. What are the national public holidays in the destination country during that same period?
  8. What weather conditions can be expected at the destination when the shipment arrives?

Write down the answers, check them and print a copy.

Once that is done, you begin with the risk assessment. Please refer to the section The Three Stress Factors and assess the risks according to your product.

Prevention is better than cure. Safety measures properly carried out are better and cheaper than damage control. I have been through enough damage control to know the stress my clients have suffered.

Assessing the Product for Risk Tolerance

  1. Does vibration affect the product?
  2. If vibration affects the product, organise suitable vibration-absorption measures.
  3. Does tilting affect the product?
  4. If tilting can damage the product, attach a TiltWatch device to the outside of the package. A TiltWatch gives an irreversible visual indication when the specified tilt threshold has been exceeded: a window changes colour, usually to red. The instructions beneath the device tell the consignee how to document the observation.
  5. Does shock affect the product?
  6. If so, ensure that suitable shock-absorption padding is added inside the package. A ShockWatch indicator can also provide visible evidence of a shock event; it does not, by itself, prove that the contents are damaged.
  7. Refer to the destination weather conditions noted earlier. Do you need waterproof or moisture-resistant packaging?
  8. Does your product need temperature control?
  9. If so, do you need temperature-controlled transport from your door right up to the consignee's facility?
  10. Have you written down the temperature limits? For example: +2°C to +8°C. Please do not omit the + sign. Do not take it for granted.
  11. Do you need sub-zero temperature-controlled (freezing) transport?
  12. For points 9, 10 and 11, inform the freight agent specifically in your Shipper's Letter of Instructions.
  13. If you are shipping goods officially classified as Dangerous Goods under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, have the packaging handled by a properly qualified dangerous goods packaging specialist. The Dangerous Goods Declaration (DGD), where required, must be prepared and signed by a person with the appropriate training and competence. Do not entrust this work to an ordinary packaging company without checking its qualifications.

Wooden Packaging

A very sensitive topic.

Apart from certain specific products, such as qualifying plywood and other exempt processed-wood packaging, wooden packaging used in international trade generally needs to comply with ISPM 15 and carry a visible IPPC mark, where the standard applies. Talk to a professional packaging company.

  1. Pallets: AVOID overhang. The package must fit within the inner perimeter of the pallet.
  2. A minimum of two straps on each side (vertical and horizontal) must secure the freight firmly to the pallet. This is my practical recommendation; the actual securing arrangement must also be adequate for the consignment.
  3. No metal plates or enhancements beneath the chocks of the crates or pallets.
  4. The edges of crates should ideally be secured by metal strips to prevent them from coming apart.
  5. NO openings! All openings, slits and grips must be sealed. This is an important airfreight security precaution; confirm the applicable screening requirements with the cargo agent.
  6. As far as possible, keep the width and height of the packaging within the dimensions of the available X-ray tunnels. For example, a screening facility may have limits around 155 cm in height and 158 cm in width. These are examples, not universal limits; ask the cargo agent for the dimensions at the facility concerned.
  7. If your product can be damaged by X-ray screening, inform the cargo agent well in advance. In writing, please.
  8. When X-ray screening is not possible, ETD (Explosive Trace Detection) or Hand Search may be used where the applicable security rules and the screening facility permit. Make the arrangements with the cargo agent in advance; the available method cannot be assumed.

Cardboard Cartons

  1. Avoid used and damaged cartons.
  2. Secure corners and edges using edge or corner protection collars.
  3. NO wobbly cargo, please. The contents must sit tightly and snugly inside the packaging.
  4. A minimum of two straps (vertical and horizontal) should secure the carton externally, provided the carton and its contents can withstand the strapping pressure.
  5. Provide vibration- and shock-absorption padding on all sides, including the top and bottom.
  6. Avoid loose Styrofoam chips. Use properly fitted Styrofoam blocks where suitable.
  7. Do not use ordinary ice packs as an improvised cooling solution inside the package! Temperature-sensitive freight needs packaging and cooling materials appropriate to the product and transport requirements.
  8. If the package must remain THIS SIDE UP, affix the corresponding label to at least two sides.
  9. If the contents are brittle, use the red label with a white wine glass, on at least two sides and the top of the package.
  10. Do NOT insert the packing list, commercial invoices or delivery notes inside the packaging. Attach the documents in secure document pockets firmly fixed to the outside of the package, following the handling and neutralisation requirements applicable to the shipment.
  11. If the package is not stackable, attach NOT STACKABLE labels to the sides and top. In addition, attach a DO NOT STACK CONE to the top with strong adhesive tape.
  12. Remove ALL old transport labels.

Package Identification

All packages must carry the complete name and address of the shipper and consignee.

If there is more than one package, number each package clearly: 1 of 5, 2 of 5, and so on, through 5 of 5. The accompanying illustration can show this numbering at a glance.

Make a list of what each carton contains. Prepare the packing list according to the actual contents of each numbered package.

If you are shipping very large crates, PRINT the dimensions directly onto the surface of the crate. Do not rely only on paper labels. They can get torn off.

An Important Note from Experience

This might sound silly, but even recent experience has proved it to me. I have spent a quarter of a century in this profession. What follows is hands-on experience speaking.

The pallet or the bottom of the crate must be strong enough to bear more than the weight of the contents inside. It must also withstand the forces involved in lifting and handling.

I had the misfortune of watching the back of a crate come off. The contents were a 2,500 kg machine.

On another occasion, I watched the bottom of a crate slowly creaking open as a forklift lifted it. It did not come off completely.

It was luckily not my freight. But it was a warning about how NOT to package freight.

A crate can look sturdy from the outside. That does not mean the base, the supporting runners or the joints can safely carry the load.

A Final Note

If you are new to airfreight, remember, you have the first thirty minutes of guidance free of charge, and I shall not be looking at my watch.

Waiting to be of service to you.