The Essential Guide to Air Freight

 

In this blog, we provide an essential guide to air freight and discuss how we support in the smooth operations of air freight with our air freight courier service.

With over 30 years as AOG couriers and our considerable experience supporting the aviation industry, our air freight courier service is second to none when it comes to security and reliability.

Aerospace Logistics Warehousing

Complementary to our sameday courier service, we offer our customers the complete logistical solution, using technology-driven innovation, controlled costs, effective planning and bespoke solutions. This means that rather than having critical aerospace parts located at a supplier’s warehouse the other side of the UK, we can store these parts at our central facilities located nearby to local airports for a faster and more streamlined collection and delivery service.

These aerospace parts can be sourced much more quickly for when they are needed most, therefore providing a wider operational window for collections and supporting the just-in-time movement of goods. This can increase operational efficiency, reduce errors and even build sustainable growth.

Collecting and Distributing Components

We provide sameday services in partnership with one of the world’s leading global supply chain management companies, to their engineering customer within the aerospace and defense sector. We are trusted to collect high-value aeroplane parts and components and distribute them to locations all over the UK with our dedicated vehicles. These parts and components are collected from a central warehouse facility in Derby which can be delivered to the end destination on the same day.

We have also been involved in projects with various airports, including Manchester airport, to support with the collection and delivery of urgent components during scheduled, essential maintenance work. This involved collecting spares from a multinational supplier of electrical equipment, for fast, same day delivery on-site to Manchester airport.

Using two heavy haulage vehicles, we were able to successfully take on the job at short notice and on-time, meaning that the airport was able to avoid costly delays which they otherwise would have experienced. This job required security cleared drivers in order for the delivery to run as smoothly as possible given the heightened safety surrounding airports.

Local Drivers

We have professional drivers based all over the UK, meaning that any collection point, no matter where it is, can be reached by our trusted drivers within 60 minutes of your request and can respond and deliver within strict timeframes.

We understand the importance of these high-value components arriving safely. This is why our drivers are security cleared and are carefully selected for their level of professionalism with Cargo Operative qualifications so that we fully understand what you require us to do and that we are able to meet airside requirements, particularly with the ever-increasing security concerns we see every day in this industry.

Airside Security

All drivers assigned to handle airside delivery are fully trained and security cleared to support our air freight courier service.

We provide our drivers with customer specific training programs and dedicated training to meet the exact needs of the aviation customer, as we know that these needs are likely to be very demanding and of high urgency.

To maximise our offerings for airside security, we are continuously investing in technology to make aviation deliveries as safe as possible, including online visibility whereby you can track the consignment every step of the way, as well as our electronic POD (proof of delivery) systems so that you can feel at ease knowing the aviation parts have successfully reached their destination.

Fast Response Times

Downtime within the aviation industry can be both damaging and costly to airline operators. We understand that when parts are needed, they are needed as soon as possible with no delay. 

We do everything in our power to ensure that key aviation parts (including aero-engine parts and key components) get from A to B with the utmost speed and efficiency and, as mentioned above, we reach the collection point within 60 minutes and can provide an ad hoc or scheduled airside courier service around the clock, 365 days a year. 

To speed things up, we even use dynamic routing technology so that all journeys are carefully planned with the most efficient route, which we find to be vital in meeting the time-critical demands within the aviation industry. This allows us to be able to successfully cope with short notice aviation parts and collection requests with ease.

How Can We Help?

Our AOG courier service (aircraft on ground) is available 24 hours a day, for 365 days a year. This means that we are able to provide a flexible and tech-driven operation in order to safely and quickly transfer high-value and critical aero parts or urgent freight to and from suppliers to airside.

We provide a quality-led approach to same-day delivery, which is why Crown SDS have become a trusted partner to the aviation and AOG industry. We can even provide scheduled airside delivery services around the clock, 365 days a year.

To find out more about how we can support with your air freight operations, please get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to assist.