Air freight
Air freight moves goods quickly at a cost that is charged mainly by chargeable weight — the greater of actual and volumetric weight. It suits time-critical shipments, high-value goods and cargo that cannot travel by sea.
TCSA reviews your enquiry and helps identify suitable member providers. The appointed provider confirms the scope and quotation.
What this covers
Businesses moving urgent or perishable consignments, high-value goods where transit time is a security consideration, and importers bridging a stock-out while a sea shipment is in transit.
Consolidation and direct services
Choosing between consolidated consignments and dedicated uplift depending on urgency and volume.
Chargeable weight assessment
Checking dimensional weight against actual weight so the quotation reflects how the carrier will charge.
Security and screening
The screening and known-consignor arrangements that apply to air cargo.
Airline documentation
Air waybills and the accompanying documents, including dangerous goods declarations where applicable.
Who performs the work: A member forwarder with air capability. TCSA reviews the requirement, confirms the uplift options available and makes the introduction.
Limits: Air cargo restrictions on dangerous goods, lithium batteries and certain commodities are set by the carrier and the destination authority. TCSA does not waive them, and cargo that cannot legally fly will not be carried.
How membership and accreditation differInformation to have ready
None of this is required to send an enquiry. It helps us confirm the appropriate route and the scope faster.
- Airport of departure and destination
- Goods description, packed dimensions and gross weight
- Number and type of packages
- Required delivery date
- Whether the goods are dangerous, temperature-controlled or lithium-battery powered
- Whether the shipment must travel on a specific airline or routing
What happens next
The same four steps apply whatever the service. Timings are agreed with you rather than promised up front.
- 01
Requirement
You provide the dimensions, weights and deadlines.
- 02
Options
Direct and consolidated options are set out with their transit times and cost differences.
- 03
Booking
Space is booked with the airline and the air waybill is issued.
- 04
Tracking
Milestones are tracked from acceptance to delivery, with exceptions raised.
What affects the price
Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, so packed dimensions matter as much as the weight itself. Fuel, security and peak-season surcharges are itemised in the quotation.
Submitting the enquiry is free. The service itself is quoted before any work begins.
The provider who delivers the work sets its own rates. TCSA does not set them.
Where this is available
Confirmed for the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, subject to uplift availability at the airports involved.
Availability on a specific lane, site or regime is confirmed during review.
Who handles the work
Member forwarders are matched on airline relationships at the airports concerned and on their handling of the commodity in question.
Membership of TCSA is not a statutory licence, and neither membership nor accreditation guarantees the performance of any provider. Scope and charges are agreed with you before work begins.
Questions about this service
Related services
Freight forwarding
A freight forwarder arranges the movement of goods across borders — booking space, preparing transport and customs documentation, and coordinating the parties involved. This page covers forwarding as a whole; the transport-mode pages cover air, sea and road in detail.
Sea freight
Sea freight carries the majority of international trade by volume. It is the most economical option for large or heavy consignments, with a transit time measured in weeks rather than days, and with a choice between full containers and shared space.
Warehousing and third-party logistics
Third-party logistics covers storage, pick and pack, and the fulfilment activity around it. It is the commercial counterpart to a customs warehouse: this page covers storage and fulfilment generally, while customs warehousing covers duty-suspended storage specifically.
The process
How an enquiry works
Find customs, freight and trade services through TCSA. Tell us what you need and we will review your enquiry, connect you with suitable member providers, or confirm whether TCSA can deliver the service directly. Submitting an enquiry does not book work or accept a quotation, and does not guarantee that a provider is available.
- 01
Choose a service and tell us what you need
Pick the service that fits and describe the requirement. It takes a couple of minutes.
- 02
TCSA reviews the requirement
We confirm the appropriate next step: a member provider, a TCSA-delivered service, or a managed sourcing process.
- 03
The agreed route responds
Suitable member providers or the TCSA team respond according to the route you agreed to.
- 04
You decide whether to proceed
Review the scope, the provider and the pricing before committing to anything.
Membership
What members get on services
You do not need to be a member to enquire. Membership changes the rate you pay and the way opportunities are routed to you as a provider.
For buyers
- Preferential rates on eligible services, confirmed with your quotation.
- Eligibility checked against your membership record, not a self-declaration.
- One enquiry route covering customs, freight, compliance and inspections.
For member providers
- Enquiries matched to your stated services, countries and language capability.
- Only enquiries you are assigned to are visible to you, in the Member Portal.
- Your details are shared only where the customer has permitted it.
Buying a service has no bearing on accreditation. Accreditation is assessed separately against published criteria.