Air Freight Articles

International Air Freight

Imagine How Huge International Air Freight Can Get

From letters to air planes, it is now possible to ship just about anything through air freight services.

All these stuffs can be carried through commercial airplanes to various mammoth-like flying machines.

International air freight can be divided into simpler categories though. While just as we have said, everything can be shipped via air there should always be some form of separation between items so that various risks can be avoided.

The three basic categories of air freight are:

Air freights that are carried through passenger air lines
Air freights that are carried through special cargo planes, and
Air freights that are huge enough to be carried by super cargo planes

Along with the passengers, international air lines can also carry with them stuffs that would be stationed to various air freight service locations. These then will be delivered via rail or road to their proper recipients.

The United States Postal Service has leased some 15 000 to 25 000 passenger planes daily to haul freight. This takes up 5 to 10 percent of all air freight revenue.

This type of international air freight are packed along with other shipments on special containers that are designed to fit the storage area beneath the passenger compartment. However, some air freight can be put on pallets while other relatively smaller items can be made to fit on remaining open spaces.

The Boeing 747-400 is usually used as the freight carrier in the passenger air line category. However, it can also be made to hold 10 000 cubic feet of cargo when on the Combi mode. This is when some of the passenger compartments are partly turned into cargo areas.

But when configured, this plane can be transformed into a huge cargo plane which can then haul as much as 5 semi trucks.

Since Boeing 747-400s are not specifically made as air freighters, there is not as much room as with a cargo plane to fit a forklift truck for loading pallets, special electric rollers are equipped on the load floor. These rollers are used to move the cargoes into the inner chambers of cargo areas.

However, for hauling huge items, a super transporter is needed. It is used for transporting helicopters and planes and is purely designed to perform such tasks.

Such planes are built in a way that when an object fits comfortably through the door then it can fit into the body of the plane. The plane is large enough to carry terribly hugr stuffs. It carries up to 47 ton stuffs but still not large enough to carry military tanks.

For such big-time requirements, Antonov AN-225 can do the job.

For this monster-air transporter, three military trucks is just about as easy as for a Boeing 747-400 to carry international air freights at its own limits.

This was originally a Russian space shuttle. With a wingspan as huge as a football field, this air freight super transporter can send to any destination some 80 cars or 3-4 military trucks. Well, if this isn't huge enough for your air freight service requirements then you might as well arrange multiple sending of stuffs.

Now you've seen your options of air freights. From sending your niece her birthday present to shipping military tanks, you are sure to find your way of sending cargoes from coast to coast.