Air cargo
Air freight from China, cleared at RGIA
Six to nine days door to door into Hyderabad. The right choice for high-value, low-volume and anything where three weeks of empty shelves costs more than the freight.
The number that decides your bill
Chargeable weight, not what the scale says
Airlines sell space, not mass. So they charge on whichever is greater: the actual gross weight, or the volumetric weight of the carton.
Volumetric weight is length × width × height in centimetres, divided by 6000. That works out to about 167 kg for every cubic metre. A carton of phone cases can weigh 9 kg on the scale and be charged as 34 kg.
Work it out before you order
- Ask the supplier for carton dimensions and gross weight — not just weight
- Divide L × W × H (cm) by 6000 for each carton
- Compare that to the actual weight; the higher figure is what you pay on
- If volumetric is winning by a wide margin, ask the supplier to repack tighter
Repacking is free to ask for and routinely saves 15 to 20 percent of an air bill. Most buyers never ask.
When air beats sea outright
- Small, dense consignments under roughly 100 to 150 kg
- Samples and first orders you need to validate quickly
- Replenishment where a stock-out costs more than the freight gap
- High-value goods where three extra weeks of tied-up capital is the real cost
Sea or air
A straight comparison
| Air freight | Sea LCL | Sea FCL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Door to door | 6–9 days | 22–28 days | 20–26 days |
| Charged on | Chargeable kg | Per CBM | Per container |
| Suits | Under ~150 kg, urgent, high value | 1–12 CBM | 15 CBM and above |
| Cleared at | RGIA Air Cargo | ICD Sanathnagar | ICD Sanathnagar |
| Handling stages | Fewest | Most — CFS deconsolidation | Few — sealed to ICD |
| Cost per kg | Highest | Middle | Lowest at volume |
Cleared at Shamshabad
Straight into Hyderabad, not down from Delhi
We clear at the Air Cargo Complex at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. That means the consignment lands, clears and is delivered inside the same city — no second leg by road, no second handling, no second point of failure.
Same-day delivery inside Hyderabad and Secunderabad once cleared.
Questions
About air freight
How long does air freight from China to Hyderabad take?
Six to nine days door to door is the realistic figure. Flight time is a matter of hours; the days go on pickup in China, export clearance, the flight, then clearance at the RGIA Air Cargo Complex and delivery.
How is air freight priced?
On chargeable weight, which is the higher of actual gross weight and volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is length by width by height in centimetres divided by 6000 — roughly 167 kg per CBM. Light bulky cargo is therefore charged on volume.
When is air actually cheaper than sea?
When the consignment is small and dense. Under roughly 100 to 150 kg, LCL minimum charges, CFS handling and destination fees often make sea the more expensive option once everything is added. It also wins whenever three weeks of stock-out costs you more than the freight difference.
Can you fly directly into Hyderabad?
Yes. We clear at the Air Cargo Complex at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad. Your cargo is not cleared at Delhi or Mumbai and trucked down.
What cannot go by air?
Batteries, magnets, aerosols, flammable liquids, powders and anything classed as dangerous goods need special handling, correct declaration and often a different carrier. Lithium batteries in particular are heavily restricted. Tell us before you order — a mis-declared battery consignment gets offloaded, not delayed.
Is duty different for air?
The duty rates are identical. But duty is charged on the assessable value, which includes freight — so higher air freight raises the assessable value and therefore the duty. The calculator accounts for that.
Get started
Get an air freight quote
Send us the gross weight and carton dimensions. We will tell you the chargeable weight, the landed cost, and whether sea would be cheaper.