5–8 day door-to-door air cargo from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong to Heathrow, Manchester and East Midlands. DDP available: duty, VAT, clearance and delivery inside one price.
Air freight earns its cost when the cargo is small, valuable, or needed now. A UK retailer restocking a best-selling line, a brand launching a product, a factory sending samples to a trade show, a seller whose sea shipment is delayed — these are all air decisions. The rule of thumb we use with clients: if the goods are worth more than roughly £8–10 per kilo, or a two-week delay would cost you more than the freight difference, fly it.
We book space on scheduled passenger and freighter services out of Shenzhen (SZX), Guangzhou (CAN), Shanghai (PVG) and Hong Kong (HKG), connecting to London Heathrow (LHR), Manchester (MAN) and East Midlands (EMA). Direct services get your cargo into the UK in a day; one-stop routings through the Middle East, Istanbul or Europe cost less.
If you prefer to control the UK side yourself, we quote air freight and export handling only, and release the cargo to your own broker at Heathrow or Manchester.
Airlines charge on whichever is greater: actual weight, or volumetric weight calculated as length × width × height (cm) ÷ 6000. A carton of cushions that weighs 8 kg can easily measure 120 × 80 × 60 cm — 96 kg volumetric. That is why air suits dense, compact cargo and sea suits light, bulky cargo. We calculate both before you commit.
| Air | Rail | Sea | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door-to-door | 5–8 days | 22–28 days | 35–45 days |
| Typical cost | Highest per kg | Mid | Lowest per CBM |
| Best cargo | Under ~500 kg, high value | 1–15 CBM, mid urgency | 15+ CBM, heavy or bulky |
| Goods limits | DG restrictions apply | Some DG restricted | Widest acceptance |
Door-to-door is normally 5–8 days: 1–2 days for pickup and export clearance in China, 2–4 days of flying and transfers, then 1–2 days for UK clearance and delivery. Express courier services can be faster but cost several times more per kilo.
Air cargo is charged on chargeable weight: the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight (length × width × height in cm ÷ 6000). Light, bulky cargo therefore pays on volume. We show you both figures in the quote so nothing is a surprise.
Yes, within the rules. Lithium batteries need UN38.3 test reports and an MSDS, and must ship as DG cargo with the right packing and labels. Aerosols, nail polish and alcohol-based cosmetics are restricted by volume and packing. Send us the product and we will confirm what is flyable — some goods must go by sea.
Yes. If you already have a UK broker and haulier, we can quote air freight and export clearance only, with the cargo released at Heathrow or Manchester under your own EORI.
There is no strict minimum, but below about 45 kg the economics rarely work against a courier service. We will tell you honestly if express is cheaper for your shipment.
Yes. We collect from factories in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Foshan, Yiwu, Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao and Xiamen, and can arrange collection from most other Chinese cities through our partner network.
Send the carton count, weights and dimensions. We will tell you the chargeable weight, the fastest realistic routing and the all-in price within 24 hours.
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