Consolidated air freight
small lots combined at the hub
Consolidated air freight lets you fly lots from a few kilograms without paying the minimum charge of a separate air waybill. Several clients' cargo is combined at the hub under one master air waybill (MAWB), while each lot travels under its own house air waybill (HAWB) with its own documents and consignee.
The per-kilo price is lower than a stand-alone shipment, but transit is longer: the lot waits for the consolidation to be built on the hub's schedule. If the deadline is critical, we move the cargo to the next flight as a separate shipment.
Specification
Specification · Consolidated air freight. Standard terms · consolidation date and rate are confirmed on receipt of the cargo
Service
- Cargo
- small lots of general cargo
- Scheme
- hub → MAWB → deconsolidation by HAWB
- Options
- repacking, palletising, supplier pickup
Terms
- Timing
- about 5–10 days door-to-door
- Documents
- HAWB and check against actuals included
- Currency
- USD / RUB
Logistics
- At the hub
- receiving, check, consolidation build
- Flight
- one MAWB for the whole load
- After
- bonded store, DT per HAWB, delivery
Price
- Base
- consolidation rate per chargeable kg
- Extras
- repacking, extended storage — on request
Service flow
- 01
Booking and receiving
We give the next consolidation date and the rate; the supplier delivers to the hub or we collect.
1–2 days - 02
Hub handling
We weigh, measure and photograph the pieces, check them against the packing list and repack or palletise if needed.
day of receipt - 03
Consolidation and departure
We build the consolidation, issue a HAWB per client and a MAWB for the whole load, clear export and tender to the flight.
per schedule - 04
Deconsolidation and customs
At the arrival airport the cargo goes into bonded storage and is split by HAWB; each lot is cleared under its own DT.
1–3 days - 05
Delivery to consignees
We deliver each lot to its consignee and hand over closing documents.
1–2 days
Problems
A small lot was sent on its own air waybill and paid the minimum charge plus full fees — more than the goods were worth.
We ship the lot in a consolidation: you pay for your chargeable weight at a rate based on the total volume.
Actual weight and dimensions at the hub did not match the packing list — the bill went up and the cargo was held until clarified.
On receipt we weigh, measure and photograph each piece and report discrepancies to you before the consolidation is built.
An undeclared battery-powered item got into the consolidation — it was pulled at screening and the whole shipment lost a day.
We check contents on receipt; items with batteries, magnets or liquids are processed separately under IATA rules.
Documents
The consolidation leaves on schedule and does not wait for a single lot. If the invoice or packing list is missing when the shipment is built, your cargo goes with the next one — send documents together with the cargo.
Incoterms
- FCA
- FCA hub warehouse — the supplier delivers to our warehouse
- EXW
- we collect from the supplier and handle export ourselves
- CPT
- the seller pays carriage to the destination airport
Documents
- Commercial invoice
- for your lot, with exact descriptions and HS codes
- Packing List
- pieces, weights, dimensions — checked against actuals at the hub
- HAWB
- the forwarder's house air waybill for your lot
- MAWB and manifest
- the carrier's master air waybill and the manifest of all HAWBs
- Contract
- the consignee's foreign trade contract with the delivery term
FAQ
The airline prices the whole consolidation at a high weight break (+300, +500 kg and up), not your 30 kg. Each client pays for their chargeable weight at that rate and avoids the minimum charge of a separate air waybill. The denser the consolidation, the lower the per-kilo price.
The MAWB (master air waybill) is the airline's waybill for the whole consolidation, with forwarders as shipper and consignee. The HAWB (house air waybill) is the forwarder's waybill for one client's lot with the actual shipper and consignee. Customs clearance and release at the arrival airport are done per HAWB.
Yes, consolidation runs through our own overseas hubs. The cargo is received, weighed, repacked if needed and consolidated there — without handing it over to third-party warehouses.
On the hub's schedule: the lot waits for the next consolidation, so door-to-door is usually 5–10 days versus 3–7 for a stand-alone shipment. If timing is critical, we move your lot to the next flight on its own waybill — consolidation is a way to save money, not a reason to miss a deadline.
Yes, at the arrival airport the consolidation is split by HAWB and each lot is released under its own DT to its own consignee. So a document problem with one client does not hold up the others. The invoice and contract for your lot are needed before arrival.