Air freight: Meaning and definition

Air freight refers to a type of international shipping that transports goods via air. Also called air cargo or shipping by air, it is a high cost-to-weight type of shipment that helps in transporting goods internationally. There are two common types of air cargo: general cargo and special cargo.

While general cargo allows shipping high-value goods, such as electronics, jewellery and pharmaceuticals, special cargo requires special conditions to transport goods, such as temperature control, certain air conditions or protected casing – for example, if goods are hazardous. While shipping goods by air, a Master Air waybill (MAWB) is required as evidence of the contract of carriage issued by the airline or an authorized agent.