Air vs sea freight: how to choose?

You have goods to send to the other side of the world and you are hesitating between air freight and sea freight? This choice has direct consequences for your budget, your lead times and the safety of your cargo. There is no universal answer — everything depends on your constraints and priorities. Here is the complete guide to making the right decision.

Lead times: the undeniable advantage of air freight

This is the most obvious difference. A cargo flight between Paris and Shanghai takes around 10 to 12 hours of flight time, for a total door-to-door lead time of 2 to 5 days depending on customs procedures. A maritime container on the same route takes between 25 and 35 days. If your client is expecting an urgent delivery, if your product has a short shelf life, or if you need to replenish an out-of-stock item, air freight is the obvious choice.

Cost: the massive advantage of sea freight

At equivalent weight or volume, air freight costs on average 4 to 6 times more than sea freight. Air pricing is calculated on the chargeable weight (the higher of actual weight and volumetric weight: length × width × height / 6,000). For heavy and dense goods, the cost gap with sea freight may be less dramatic. But for bulky and lightweight cargo, sea freight remains by far the most economical solution.

Sea freight itself is divided into two options: FCL (Full Container Load, complete container) and LCL (Less than Container Load, groupage). With FCL, you hire an entire container (20 or 40 feet) — this is advantageous from around 15 m³. With LCL, your goods share a container with other shippers — ideal for small volumes, but with a slightly longer lead time due to groupage operations.

The nature of the goods: a decisive criterion

Some products naturally go by air: perishables, medicines, high-value electronic components, urgent spare parts, fashion and luxury goods at the start of a season. Others naturally go by sea: raw materials, construction materials, industrial machinery and equipment, furniture, vehicles.

Fragility also plays a role. Fragile goods generally travel better by air, with fewer handlings and shorter lead times reducing exposure to risks. By sea, containers are subject to significant mechanical stresses (vibrations, humidity, temperature variations) that require suitable packaging.

Regulatory constraints

Air transport is subject to very strict safety rules regarding dangerous goods (IATA DGR). Lithium batteries, aerosols, flammable liquids and many chemicals are subject to severe restrictions, or even prohibited in the hold on certain airlines. Sea freight offers more flexibility for this type of goods, subject to compliance with the IMDG code (International Maritime Dangerous Goods).

What if you combine both?

Multimodal transport is often the smartest solution. For example: sea freight from China to a European hub, then rapid road distribution to your warehouses. Or conversely, air pre-shipment for critical components, complemented by sea freight for replenishment volumes. My Way Logistics specialises in organising these multimodal schemes and can build the solution best suited to your supply chain.