The Logistics Myth Busters Take to the Air

A person can get on a plane in New York and be in London in less than seven hours, but is it as quick to transport cargo that’s heading the same way? The short answer is….no, and it’s not even close.

We all know airfreight can be expensive but is it really that fast? Airfreight is (rightly) perceived to be the faster option for shipping internationally compared to ocean freight–but that’s a pretty low benchmark. It’s also common for companies to believe shipping air cargo is a super-efficient, technology-driven process optimized to squeeze out every possible minute of delay. These perceptions are logistics myths that need busting.

A close look at the data shows that the efficiency of cargo transport is far different than personal travel. Sure, the time in the air is the same. But while airport to airport time is measured in hours, freight’s time on either side of that is measured in days or weeks. According to the IATA, the average transit time for airfreight is 6.5 days door-to-door!

Unfortunately, the reality gets worse. That surprisingly slow average transit time has not improved since the 1960s. So, little has been done through technology or infrastructure improvements to speed up the delivery performance of air cargo networks over the past 50+ years. That screams a lack of innovation and any attempts at creating efficiencies.

Airfreight has its place in many companies’ global supply chains for a good reason. Still, it’s understandable for professionals in the industry to feel service performance can and should be better.