What Is Door-to-Door International Air Freight?

Door-to-door international air freight refers to a logistics service in which a single freight forwarder organizes and coordinates the entire transportation process—from pickup at the shipper’s location to final delivery at the consignee’s address.

Under this model, the shipper does not need to manage multiple service providers for pickup, export customs clearance, air transport, import clearance, and final delivery. All stages are centrally coordinated by the freight forwarder, ensuring a streamlined process and clear accountability.

Typical Door-to-Door Air Freight Services Include:

1. Pickup from factory or warehouse

2. Export customs declaration and documentation

3. Flight booking and international air transportation

4. Import customs clearance at destination

5. Final-mile delivery to the consignee’s address

Service Example

For shipments from China to Frankfurt, Germany, the freight forwarder arranges pickup at the origin, completes export customs clearance, and books the air transport. Upon arrival in Germany, the local partner handles import clearance and delivers the cargo to the customer’s designated location.

Suitable Use Cases

Door-to-door air freight is commonly used when:

1. Shipment weight exceeds approximately 100 kg per consignment

2. Cargo is packed in cartons or on pallets

3. High requirements exist for transit time, process stability, and operational simplicity

Compared with Express Courier or Cross-Border Parcels

1. Wider choice of airlines and more flexible capacity allocation;

2. Higher payload capability, suitable for various cargo types;

3. Options for direct or transshipment routes to balance cost and transit time.

Please note that door-to-door service does not automatically include duties and taxes. Whether import duties and VAT are covered depends on the agreed Incoterms (e.g., DAP or DDP).