Largest Air Freight Forwarders with ShipCars UK covers three distinct kinds of air cargo: unaccompanied personal effects and excess baggage, commercial and trade cargo, and time-critical next-flight-out consignments. All three are priced on chargeable weight, the greater of actual kilos and volumetric kilos, and all three are collected from any UK postcode, screened at a CAA-regulated agent, entered for export and flown on scheduled airline services rather than uncertain space.
Pricing guide
Air Freight Pricing Guide
Airport to airport from Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester · chargeable weight basis
| Excess baggage & personal effectsMinimum charge 45 kg | from £4.60 per kg |
| General cargo 100 kg – 300 kgWeekly consolidations | from £3.40 per kg |
| General cargo 300 kg – 1,000 kgDirect airline allocation | from £2.85 per kg |
| Full ULD / over 1,000 kgContract airline rates | on application |
| Airline handling, screening & AWB | £85 – £140 per shipment |
| UK export customs entryAdditional lines £8 each | £45 per entry |
| UK door collectionAny UK postcode | from £65 |
Indicative rates only, excluding VAT where applicable. Final pricing depends on dimensions, weight, sailing schedule and destination charges.
Air freight rates depend on lane, density and lead time. Consolidated air cargo on our weekly builds is the cheapest per kilo and typically clears destination within five to eight days; direct airline allocation moves in three to five; next-flight-out lifts the same day where a seat exists. Whichever you choose, the pricing guide below shows realistic per-kilo air freight costs, and the quote form on this page gets you a firm figure against your actual weights and dimensions.
We also air freight cars, motorcycles and vehicle parts where the deadline justifies it, crated, drained of fuel, battery disconnected and dangerous-goods compliant. It is the fastest way to move a car overseas, and for auctions, motorsport and prestige deliveries the cost is often worth it.
Air cargo we handle
- Unaccompanied personal effects and excess baggage
- Commercial cargo, samples and trade stock
- Pharmaceuticals, electronics and high-value goods
- Aerospace, oil and gas and marine spares (AOG)
- Motorsport, event and exhibition freight
- Crated motorcycles, engines and vehicle parts
- Perishables and temperature-sensitive cargo
- Dangerous goods under IATA regulations
Air freight of personal effects and excess baggage
Airlines charge punishing rates on excess baggage at check-in. Sending the same boxes as unaccompanied air freight is usually a fraction of the price and no slower in practice. We collect the cases and cartons from your address, weigh and measure them, screen them, raise the export entry and fly them to your destination airport where you or your consignee collects after customs. Minimum chargeable weight is 45 kg and the rate falls sharply above 100 kg.
- Suitcases, boxed personal effects and household items
- Student baggage to and from UK universities
- Relocation air shipments alongside a sea container
- Sports equipment, instruments and hobby gear
Commercial air freight and consolidations
Weekly consolidations out of London and Manchester give small and medium shippers airline pricing without airline volumes. Cargo is received into our warehouse, palletised into ULDs and flown as one master air waybill with your house air waybill underneath it. For urgent and contract volumes we book direct airline allocation and, where a machine or a line is down, next-flight-out on the first available service.
- Weekly groupage builds to major gateways
- Direct airline allocation for 300 kg and above
- Next-flight-out and hand-carry for AOG and breakdown spares
- Charter and part-charter for outsize or heavy cargo
How largest air freight forwarders works step by step
Every air shipment follows the same sequence, and we tell you where yours is at each stage.
- Quote against weights, dimensions and commodity
- UK collection from any postcode, or delivery to our warehouse
- Weighing, measuring, labelling and export packing if required
- Security screening at a CAA-regulated agent
- Export customs entry and air waybill issue
- Airline handover, flight and arrival notification
- Destination clearance and onward delivery where booked
Air freight costs explained
Chargeable weight is the pivot. Divide the volume in cubic centimetres by 6,000 to get volumetric kilos and compare with actual kilos, the airline charges the greater. Light, bulky cargo therefore costs more than the scales suggest, which is why professional packing that removes air from the consignment pays for itself.
- Chargeable weight (actual versus volumetric)
- Lane, airline and service level chosen
- Screening, handling and air waybill fees
- Export customs entry and any licence requirements
- Dangerous goods surcharges where applicable
- Destination terminal charges, clearance and delivery
Why use ShipCars UK for largest air freight forwarders
We hold direct rates with the scheduled carriers serving Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and East Midlands, we screen and build in-house rather than paying a third party's mark-up, and we quote in writing with every charge itemised, no ambiguous per-kilo headline that grows at the airport.
- Airport-to-airport and full door-to-door pricing
- IATA-compliant dangerous goods handling
- Export packing, crating and palletising on site
- Same-day collection across most of the UK
- Full tracking from screening to arrival
How Your Shipment Moves
Quote & booking
Rates, sailing or flight options confirmed in writing.
UK collection
Nationwide collection or delivery into our Tilbury depot.
Loading & packing
Lashing, crating, palletising and photographic record.
Customs & export
Export entry, NES clearance and documentation released.
Transit & delivery
Tracking updates until the cargo lands with your consignee.