Air Freight Services from the UK

Air freight is the fastest way to move cargo out of the United Kingdom, and NLX Logistics Ltd books it every working day. We hold allocation with scheduled combination carriers and dedicated freighter operators out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands, which lets us place your cargo on the earliest realistic flight rather than the first one with a gap.

Our air export desk handles everything from a single carton of documents through to full unit load devices and part charters. Rates are quoted on chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight or volume divided by 6,000 — with airline handling, security screening and fuel surcharges shown separately so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

UK airports we use

• Heathrow (LHR) — the widest network of long-haul combination carriers and the best choice for cargo needing a direct flight to a specific city.
• Gatwick (LGW) — strong scheduled capacity to Africa, the Caribbean and the eastern Mediterranean.
• Stansted (STN) — the UK's principal dedicated freighter hub, ideal for heavy or bulky consolidated shipments.
• Manchester (MAN) — the main northern gateway, reducing road-feeder time for cargo originating outside the South East.
• East Midlands (EMA) — an overnight express and integrator hub, useful for time-critical parcels and documents.

Airport-to-airport and door-to-door

Most clients choose airport to airport and appoint their own broker at destination. Where you would rather hand over the whole job, we offer door to door: UK collection, export customs entry, air waybill, import clearance at the arrival airport and final road delivery to the consignee. Duty and local taxes remain payable by the importer unless you specifically ask us to quote delivered duty paid.

Transit times

Airport-to-airport transit is typically 1–3 days to Europe and the Middle East, 2–4 days to Africa and the Indian Subcontinent, 1–2 days to North America, and 2–5 days to Asia and Australasia, depending on flight frequency and whether a direct or interline routing is used. Add one to three days at each end for collection, screening and final delivery when quoting door to door.

Packing, screening and dangerous goods

Cargo must be presented ready for flight. Our warehouse at East Tilbury can palletise, shrink-wrap, crate to ISPM15 standard and label your consignment before it moves to the airport. Dangerous goods are accepted under the IATA DGR with certified packing, declarations and the correct UN packaging — tell us early, because acceptance rules and airline embargoes vary by route.

Regulated Agent screening

As an accredited Regulated Agent, we screen and secure every consignment ourselves — X-ray, explosive trace detection or a validated known-consignor route — so cargo already carries secure status when it reaches the airline, rather than queuing for screening at the airport on the day of the flight.

Documentation and customs

• Commercial invoice and packing list matched to the correct commodity code
• HMRC export customs declaration and EORI validation
• Air waybill — house and master, issued under our IATA licence
• Dangerous goods declaration and UN-specification packaging where required
• Certificates of origin, health certificates or licences specific to the commodity

Excess baggage and personal effects

Students, expatriates and returning residents make up a large part of our air freight traffic. Unaccompanied baggage is far cheaper than paying an airline's excess counter rate, and we can collect from a UK address, weigh and re-pack where needed, and clear the goods at the far end. Consignments under 100 kg are consolidated so you only pay a share of the airline minimum.

Costs and what affects price

As a guide, consolidated air freight from the UK runs from around £3.50–£6.50 per kilo on shorter European and Middle East lanes for consignments under 100 kg, falling toward £1.80–£3.20 per kilo for volumes over 300 kg on the same lanes, with long-haul and African routes typically 20–40% higher. Minimum charges, airline handling fees of roughly £85–£140 and fuel/security surcharges apply on top of the base rate.

• Chargeable weight — actual weight versus volumetric weight at the 6,000 divisor
• Route and flight frequency, and whether a direct or transhipment routing is used
• Whether the cargo needs dangerous goods, temperature control or AOG priority handling
• Door-to-door versus airport-to-airport scope
• Seasonal demand, particularly pre-Christmas and around major trade fairs

Perishables, pharma and AOG

Temperature-sensitive cargo travels on active or passive cold-chain solutions with continuous monitoring and airline-approved handling. Aircraft-on-ground spares move on next-flight-out bookings, with our desk contactable outside normal office hours for genuine AOG cases — the priority is minutes, not the next scheduled departure.

Commercial and trade shippers

Manufacturers and distributors running a regular air programme can set a standing rate card for their principal lanes, with a fixed weekly consolidation slot so smaller orders are not left waiting for a full pallet. We also support exhibition freight moving under an ATA Carnet, with the paperwork prepared well ahead of the show's build-up dates.

Frequently asked questions

How is chargeable weight worked out?

We take the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight, calculated as length × width × height in centimetres divided by 6,000 per piece. Dense cargo such as machinery parts is usually charged on actual weight; bulky, light cargo such as packaging or textiles is usually charged on volume.

Can dangerous goods travel by air?

Many can, under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, with the correct UN packaging, labelling and a signed shipper's declaration. Some classes are embargoed on passenger aircraft and must travel on a freighter; we confirm acceptance before booking.

What is the minimum shipment size?

There is no practical minimum — we regularly consolidate single cartons weighing a few kilos alongside larger freight, and the airline's minimum charge is simply built into the quotation.

Why choose ShipCars UK for air freight

As a Regulated Agent with allocation across multiple carriers, our own screening facility and a dedicated export desk, we control the process from collection to hand-over at the aircraft rather than relying on a chain of subcontracted handlers.