What Are the Modes of Air Transport?

What Are the Modes of Air Transport?

I. Scheduled Airline Service
Scheduled airline service refers to flights operating on a fixed timetable, with predetermined routes, departure points, destination airports, and stopovers. This service typically utilizes combination aircraft (passenger and cargo), though some routes may employ dedicated freighter aircraft for regular cargo flights.

Characteristics:

Safety and Speed: Fixed routes and ports of call ensure safe and rapid delivery to accessible destinations worldwide.

Schedule Certainty: Shippers and consignees can accurately know the departure and arrival times, making it suitable for urgently needed goods, perishable items, and valuable commodities.

Limited Capacity: As flights often carry both passengers and cargo, space is limited. Large shipments cannot be dispatched immediately and may require transportation in multiple batches.

II. Charter Service
Charter service involves an airline leasing an entire aircraft or a section of its cargo hold to a charterer under pre-agreed terms and costs, transporting goods from one or several airports to the destination. It can be divided into two main types: Whole Aircraft Charter and Partial Charter.

Whole Aircraft Charter:

Definition: Chartering an entire aircraft for cargo transportation.

Process: The charterer must contact the airline before cargo loading to arrange transportation and handle formalities.

Cost: Negotiated per charter, fluctuating with international market supply and demand. Charges are generally based on a fixed rate per flight kilometer, with an additional "deadhead charge" (typically 80% of the per-kilometer rate) applied for the return leg without cargo.

Partial Charter:

Definition: Several air freight companies or shippers jointly charter an aircraft, or an airline sells the cargo hold space of a single aircraft to several air freight companies.

Characteristics: Addresses the issue of limited scheduled flight capacity, saves time and the hassle of multiple shipments, compensates for the lack of direct flights, and reduces risks of cargo damage, shortage, or loss.

III. Consolidation
Consolidation involves combining several individual shipments bound for the same destination into a single consolidated shipment, issued under one Master Air Waybill (MAWB) to the same arrival point.

Specific Process:

Issue individual House Air Waybills (HAWB) for each shipment.

Group goods by destination and prepare a Master Air Waybill (MAWB).

Create a cargo manifest and submit it to the airline.

The destination freight forwarder handles cargo reception, breakdown, customs clearance, and delivery.

Limitations:

Only suitable for general cargo; cannot be used for goods requiring commodity-specific rates.

Best for shipments with the same or geographically close destinations; less suitable for others.

Characteristics:

Saves freight costs, provides convenience, and allows for earlier settlement of payments.

IV. Combined Transport (Intermodal)
This mode utilizes multiple transportation methods for a single shipment. A common example is Land-Air Transport (TAT), which combines train, aircraft, and truck.

Concepts:

Land-Air Transport (TAT): Combined transport using train, aircraft, and truck.

Train-Air Transport (TA): Combined transport using train and aircraft.

Common Practices for Chinese Export Cargo:

In China, air exports frequently use Land-Air联运. Goods are first transported by train, truck, or ship to an air port, then connected to international flights.

Subsidiaries south of the Yangtze River often move goods to Hong Kong by train, truck, or ship, leveraging Hong Kong's extensive flight network to reach final destinations or transit points.

Subsidiaries north of the Yangtze River typically transport goods by train or truck to air ports like Beijing or Shanghai for onward shipment.

In summary, the various modes of air transport each have distinct characteristics suited to different shipping needs and scenarios. In practical application, the choice of the most suitable mode requires comprehensive consideration of factors such as the nature of the goods, volume, and required transit time.