Charter Air Freight to Dubai: Shipping 13-Metre Oversized Metal Cargo from China

Moving oversized project cargo by air is not simply a matter of booking aircraft capacity. When cargo is up to 13 metres long, weighs as much as 15 tonnes per piece, and cannot be handled with standard packaging or palletizing methods, the entire logistics plan has to be designed around the cargo itself.

For this project, BSI Global Logistics handled the door-to-door transportation of 14 pieces of oversized metal connection boxes from China to a construction site in Dubai. With a total cargo weight of approximately 89 tonnes, the shipment required dedicated charter air freight, specially adapted loading equipment, customized securing methods, advance customs preparation, and special road transportation arrangements at destination.

The complete shipment was delivered within just over 20 days from the initial customer inquiry to aircraft arrival in Dubai, meeting the customer's project schedule.

Project Overview

The cargo presented several characteristics that made conventional air freight impractical: significant variations in dimensions, irregular contact surfaces, uneven weight distribution, and the absence of standard export packaging.

The longest pieces were approximately 13 metres, while individual pieces weighed up to around 15 tonnes. This meant that conventional palletizing and standard cargo-handling procedures could not simply be applied.

The Transportation Route

The shipment was organized as a three-stage door-to-door operation:

Domestic trucking: Tianjin pickup → Zhengzhou Airport

International air freight: Zhengzhou Airport → Dubai Airport by dedicated charter

Destination delivery :
Dubai Airport customs clearance → Special road transportation → Customer's designated construction site

The key to the project was not any single transport mode, but the coordination between trucking, cargo preparation, airport handling, charter operations, customs clearance, and oversized road delivery.

Four Key Challenges

1. Oversized and Irregular Cargo Required a Customized Securing Method

The cargo had no conventional outer packaging and could not be treated like standard palletized freight.

Because of the irregular shapes and limited contact surfaces, simply stacking and strapping the pieces would not provide sufficient stability during handling and air transportation. Uneven weight distribution also created additional requirements for load distribution and cargo securing.

The loading plan therefore had to address three issues simultaneously:

• Prevent movement between stacked cargo
• Distribute the load across the aircraft pallet structure
• Maintain cargo stability throughout handling and flight operations

2. Standard Aircraft Pallets Were Not Sufficient

The cargo length exceeded the practical loading dimensions of a standard aircraft pallet.

For the longest pieces, multiple extra-long aircraft pallets had to be connected using specialized connectors to create the required loading platform.

Because a large quantity of oversized cargo was involved, the required special loading equipment also had to be coordinated and positioned in advance.

This required close coordination between BSI's project team, the airline, and the palletizing and ground-handling teams before the cargo entered the airport operation.

3. Charter Flight Approval and Scheduling Required Tight Coordination

A temporary charter flight involves more than aircraft availability.

The required flight and traffic rights had to be prepared and submitted within the applicable approval window, while the approved flight date also had to meet the customer's construction schedule.

Any significant delay in the preparation or approval process could affect the planned departure and create additional operational costs.

For this reason, BSI coordinated the project around a detailed timeline covering cargo readiness, trucking, airport entry, customs declaration, inspection, cargo build-up, aircraft loading, and charter operations.

4. Oversized Delivery Requirements Continued After Landing

The logistics challenge did not end when the aircraft landed in Dubai.

Before arrival, the destination-side team prepared the customs documentation, reviewed the applicable customs classification and estimated duties and taxes, and coordinated payment arrangements with the customer.

The final delivery also required advance planning because oversized and heavy project cargo may require special road transportation arrangements, including suitable vehicles, drivers, route planning, and applicable road permits.

This destination preparation helped reduce the risk of cargo remaining at the airport after customs clearance and incurring unnecessary storage costs.

BSI's Project Logistics Solution

BSI structured the shipment as an integrated trucking + cargo preparation + charter air freight + customs clearance + special road delivery operation.

Rather than treating each stage as a separate service, the project team coordinated the key operational requirements before the cargo moved.

1. Dedicated Domestic Transportation Preparation

Before pickup, BSI arranged the required vehicles, lifting equipment, handling resources, and operating space.

The objective was to ensure that the cargo could be loaded and transferred safely despite its dimensions and weight.

The domestic trucking plan connected the Tianjin pickup operation with the Zhengzhou airport handling schedule, keeping the cargo aligned with the charter flight timeline.

2. Customized Cargo Securing and Reinforcement

Because the cargo could not rely on conventional packaging, the project team developed a customized securing structure based on the cargo's shape and loading condition.

For stacked cargo, the securing method included:

• Customized reinforcement bolts
• Welded fixing points
• Wire-rope diagonal restraints
• Load-distribution support structures
• Additional blocking around irregular contact points

The cargo was secured in multiple layers rather than relying on a single restraint method.

The basic approach was to combine structural blocking, contact-point stabilization, and load distribution to improve overall stability during airport handling and air transportation.

3. Extra-Long Pallet Coordination and Build-Up

BSI coordinated with the airline to arrange the required extra-long aircraft pallets and special connectors.

The pallets were connected on site to create a loading platform suitable for the oversized cargo.

Before the actual build-up operation, the loading arrangement was reviewed with the airline and handling team. Specific requirements for timber supports, straps, nets, and locking points were incorporated into the loading plan.

Timber supports were also used to distribute cargo pressure across the aircraft pallet structure.

The final securing process combined:

• Timber load distribution
• Heavy-duty restraint straps
• Cargo nets
• Locking devices
• Multiple securing points

This provided a more controlled loading configuration for the oversized cargo.

4. Close Control of Airport Handling Milestones

For an oversized charter shipment, timing between operational milestones is critical.

The project team coordinated the sequence of:

Airport entry → Weighing → Customs declaration → Inspection, if required → Cargo acceptance → Build-up → Aircraft loading → Departure

Each step had to remain aligned with the charter flight schedule.

This was particularly important because a delay at one stage could affect subsequent handling and potentially the planned departure.

5. Destination Customs and Special Delivery Preparation

Destination-side arrangements began before the cargo departed China.

BSI's team prepared and reviewed the required customs information, including the cargo classification and estimated duties and taxes, so that the customer could arrange the necessary funds in advance.

At the same time, the team coordinated the destination trucking resources and special transportation requirements for the oversized cargo.

Vehicles, drivers, unloading resources, and the delivery route were prepared ahead of arrival.

This allowed the shipment to move from Dubai Airport toward the customer's designated construction site after customs release without treating final-mile delivery as an afterthought.

Project Result

From the initial customer inquiry to the aircraft's arrival in Dubai, the complete operation was completed in just over 20 days.

The shipment involved:

• 14 pieces of oversized cargo
• Approximately 89 tonnes in total
• Cargo up to approximately 13 metres long
• Individual pieces weighing up to approximately 15 tonnes
• Dedicated charter air freight from Zhengzhou to Dubai
• Door-to-door delivery to the customer's construction site

The project demonstrated that air freight can be considered for certain oversized project cargo when conventional cargo-handling methods are not suitable, provided that aircraft capacity, loading equipment, cargo securing, charter coordination, customs clearance, and destination transportation are planned as one integrated operation.

For project cargo with unusual dimensions or weight requirements, the critical question is often not simply "Can it be shipped by air?"

It is:

"Can the entire chain—from pickup to aircraft loading to final delivery—be engineered around the cargo?"

For this Dubai project, that was the approach BSI Global Logistics took.

Looking for a Customized Project Cargo Solution?

BSI Global Logistics provides customized international logistics solutions for oversized, heavy, irregular, and project cargo.

Depending on the cargo characteristics and destination requirements, solutions may combine domestic trucking, specialized cargo handling, charter air freight, customs clearance, and special road transportation.

For cargo with unusual dimensions, weight, or handling requirements, providing the cargo dimensions, weight, quantity, origin, destination, and required delivery date allows the logistics team to assess the transportation options and develop a suitable handling plan.