The coronavirus has had a huge impact on production lines in China pushing the ready date of your goods back weeks or months, therefore, I’m sure the first thing you’re looking to do is get your goods here quickly. This blog will explore the Coronavirus air freight delays and the impact on cargo delivery from China, as the government tries to reduce the virus spread.
How Coronavirus Has Impacted Air Freight
Air freight is a good way of getting your goods to the UK in a matter of days, however, multiple passenger flights in and out of the UK have been cancelled due to the government’s attempts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus… so, we’re sure you are wondering whether your goods can still be sent via air.
Air freight often comes into the UK on passenger flights with the space left in the luggage area of the plane, therefore, with these flights being delayed and cancelled, the space for goods is very limited.
There are still ‘freighter flights’ in operation, these are dedicated to shipping goods. However, they are not leaving daily. This has caused a bigger strain on the space, in turn causing the cost to drastically increase. If you’re looking to keep costs low and can afford to wait 5-8 weeks for your goods, it’s best to stick with sea freight.
Goods can still leave China provided there is availability and the airports here in the UK stay open to receive the goods. Although, flights from Malaysia have been cancelled altogether until the 1st of April.
As there is a limited amount of space on these flights they are being booked up very quickly therefore, there is likely to be a couple of weeks’ wait to get your goods on a flight, so you may need to account for a few more weeks.
Coronavirus Air Freight Delays: More Information
If you require any further information on the coronavirus air freight delays or don’t know what the best option is, please feel free to drop us an email or give us a call and speak to a member of our team.