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Speed vs cost - which time-critical transport mode works best for your cargo?
Air Partner - 04 Sep 2018
We understand that when you are working to tight deadlines you need services that can support you quickly, to ensure that there is no financial loss and fixed delivery deadlines are met.
At Air Partner, we always ensure that we work with our clients closely to tailor a solution that matches your requirements. With many of the time critical cargo requests we receive, there are two solutions which can be suggested as an ideal solution: Onboard Courier Service (OBC) or air charter service.
Of the two, OBC is the most economical option if there are good scheduled services available, whilst a cargo charter can be more costly but a far more flexible solution and offers availability at any time and independent of any scheduled connections. Air charter even allows for flights to be operated during the night at any 24h airport.
To highlight the difference in cargo transportation and the benefits of air cargo, we have compared OBC, Air Charter and Road transit options taking 5 examples from previous client requirements.
1. Automotive parts
Route: Bratislava (BTS) – Birmingham (BHX)
Mission: Urgent delivery of Automotive spare parts from Bratislava to Birmingham.
Time of enquiry: Wednesday 6pm
Required time of delivery: As soon as possible, the production line interruption is connected with a high financial loss
Things to consider: From BTS: No scheduled service during the night. Only 3 direct scheduled connections to BHX per week at 5:45 pm (Mon/Wed/Fri). There are stop-over flights with arrival time at BHX airport at 10.30 am next day. From VIE (40km): Airport closed during the night and very limited direct scheduled connections to BHX. There are stop-over flights with arrival time at BHX airport: 3:45pm next day.
OBC
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: min. 16,5 hours
Costs: approx. 2,500 EUR
Truck
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit Time: 34 – 36h (subject to waiting time at Eurotunnel, traffic, driving time limitations)
Costs: approx. 1,200 EUR
Charter
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: approx. 6 hours
Recommended aircraft: Small jet / Metro / Saab340
Costs: approx. 9,000 – 14,000 EUR
>> Best option: Charter
In this situation, the air charter offered the quickest service for delivery with same day availability and 24h access to Bratislava airport. As both airports do not have the option for overnight scheduled service and limited direct scheduled flight connections during the day, OBC was not possible and would offer a much longer journey with additional layovers to get to the end destination.
2. Aerospace: small parts
Route: Hamburg (HAM) – Palma de Mallorca (PMI)
Mission: Urgent delivery of small Aerospace spare parts (AOG) from Hamburg to Palma de Mallorca.
Time of enquiry: Thursday 7pm
Required time of delivery: Same day to help with an urgent AOG situation in PMI (any delays would incur costs)
Things to consider: HAM closed at night (23h – 6h), next 24h airport is Hannover (HAJ) (144km). Next possible scheduled flight from HAJ to PMI next day at 4:20 am with arrival time at PMI airport at 6:50am.
OBC
Transport: Door-to-airport
Transit time: min. 12 hours
Costs: approx. 2,000 EUR
Truck
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: approx. 48 hours (subject to ferry time)
Costs: approx. 1,900 EUR
Charter
Transport: Door-to-airport
Transit time: 4hrs
Recommended aircraft: small jet / small cargo aircraft
Costs: approx. 12,500 EUR
>> Best option: Charter
Air charter is the best choice as it offers a more cost effective solution to meet the requirements. Smaller aircraft are more readily available at HAM on short notice, offering more flexibility. Therefore, delivery for the same day is ensured. In this instance, an OBC would have only been able to fly the next morning, arriving in PMI 6 hours later than the charter. Given the urgent nature of this cargo – it made sense to go with a more expensive but faster solution.
3. Fashion: Haute Couture
Route: Paris (CDG) – Milan (MXP)
Mission: Urgent delivery of three haute couture pieces from Paris to a fashion show in Milan.
Time of enquiry: Saturday 11am
Required time of delivery: same day 7pm in time for the fashion show starting at 8pm
Things to consider: Good scheduled flight connections out of CDG at daytime for OBC option, not very suitable for adhoc charters as the airport is very busy, alternatives for charter: Le Bourget (16km), less busy and suitable handling, good aircraft availability
OBC
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 7-8 hours
Costs: approx. 1,600 EUR
Car/Truck
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 18-20 hours
Costs: approx. 650 EUR
Charter
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 5 hours
Recommended aircraft: Small jet / small cargo aircraft (Metroliner)
Costs: approx. 8,000 EUR
>> Best option: Onboard Courier (OBC) or Charter
As there are good connections from CDG to MXP it allowed for two options that would meet the deadline. A cost effective OBC that would only meet the deadline by 1hr or a more expensive air charter service that would get the designer pieces to the show 3hrs prior to the show.
4. Medical: blood samples
Route: Rio de Janeiro (GIG) – Zurich (ZRH)
Mission: Urgent delivery of blood samples for the Sports industry from Rio de Janeiro to Zurich.
Time of enquiry: Friday 2pm
Required time of delivery: As soon as possible to ensure available for a sporting event in Rio on Saturday 6pm
Things to consider:For both modes of transport, OBC and charter customs clearance procedures need to be considered as well as traffic rights on the charter side.
OBC
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: min. 16-18 hours
Costs: approx. 5,000 EUR
Charter
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 20-24 hours incl. positioning
Recommended aircraft: super midsize jet
Costs: approx. 120,000 EUR
>> Best option: Onboard Courier (OBC)
OBC offers the quickest and most inexpensive solution. There are good scheduled connections to Switzerland and aircraft charter depends on availability and traffic rights.
Sports industry: football jerseys
Route: Zagreb (ZAG) – Moscow (SVO)
Mission: Urgent delivery of football jerseys for a football match from Zagreb to Moscow.
Time of enquiry: Friday 8am
Required time of delivery: As soon as possible to be on time for the football match in the evening the same day at 8pm
Things to consider: OBC: courier needs a VISA, customs procedures; Charter: Traffic rights, small variety of possible airlines, aircraft availability
OBC
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: min 7-8 hours (subject to customs clearance)
Costs: approx. 2,800 EUR
Truck
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 48 hours (subject to customs / border control)
Costs: approx. 2,400 EUR
Charter
Transport: Door-to-Door
Transit time: 12-14 hours
Recommended aircraft: small/midsize jet
Costs: approx. 20,000 EUR
>> Best option: Onboard Courier (OBC)
OBC offers the most inexpensive and speedy service.
These are just some examples of the type of requirements we receive daily from our clients.
We, at Air Partner take all your requirements into consideration including your budgets and deadlines. Our solutions will always depend on the size of your cargo, availability of scheduled connections or aircraft, transport times and dates, airport services and operation time, deadlines, urgency and budgets. We always investigate the best cargo solution for you, tailored to your needs.