Independent cargo charter brokerage
Independent air charter broker for cargo
We do not operate aircraft and we are not tied to a carrier. That is the point of a broker: the market is searched for your shipment, and the options are compared on the terms that decide whether the flight works.
Submit a requirement any time — no account needed · first response usually within 60 minutes · 24/7 for AOG and time-critical. Optional: business account for status tracking
The quick answer
An air charter broker sources aircraft from the operator market on behalf of the shipper, compares operators on payload, routing, permits and price, and coordinates contracting and handling. An independent broker holds no fleet, so the recommendation follows the shipment rather than an aircraft that needs filling.
- Role
- Sourcing, comparison, coordination
- Independence
- No fleet, no carrier alignment
- Response
- Same working day, urgent immediately
- Scope
- Contract, permits, handling, flight watch
Scope of service
Air Charter Broker
No fleet, no carrier alignment, no incentive to steer a load onto a specific aircraft.
- Requirement definition: cargo, dimensions, ready date, airports
- Worldwide operator search and availability check
- Commercial structuring and contract preparation
- Permits, slots, handling and ground coordination
- Flight watch and post-flight documentation
What an independent broker adds
Independent
No fleet, no carrier alignment, no incentive to steer a load onto a specific aircraft.
Comparable options
Each option shows payload, routing, ready date, permits and total price on the same basis.
One contact
The same person handles sourcing, contracting, handling coordination and post-flight documentation.
Direct to operator
One brokerage layer, not three.
In air cargo charter it is common for a requirement to travel through several intermediaries before it reaches the aircraft operator. Each layer adds its own commission to the same flight. We work directly with operators, so the quote you see carries one commercial layer.
Typical chain
- 01Shipper or forwarder issues the requirement
- 02Broker A takes the enquiry, adds margin
- 03Broker B or C is asked for capacity, adds margin
- 04Operator finally quotes the flight
With Cargo Charter Network
- 01You submit the requirement once
- 02We approach operators directly from our network
- 03You receive comparable options with one accountable contact
No stacked commissions
The requirement is not passed sideways to other brokers who each need to earn on the same lift.
No cost on top for you
We are remunerated by the operator. Our involvement does not add a separate fee to your charter price.
Faster and cleaner information
Payload, dimensions, ready date and airport constraints reach the operator unchanged, instead of being relayed through several desks.
Real comparison, not one option
Because we source across operators ourselves, you see the realistic market for that routing rather than whatever one intermediary could reach.
Availability, pricing and acceptance always remain with the operating carrier. Where a requirement can only be served through a partner, we say so before you decide.
How we work
Broker, not operator
Cargo Charter Network does not operate aircraft and employs no flight crew. Every flight is performed by a licensed operator we source, compare and coordinate.
Operator selection
Operators are checked for AOC validity, insurance, aircraft configuration and route authority for the specific mission before a price is put in front of you.
One accountable contact
The same person handles sourcing, contract, permits, handling and flight watch, so there is no handover gap between quote and arrival.
What we will not do
We do not quote capacity that has not been checked with an operator, and we do not confirm acceptance of restricted commodities before the operator has accepted them in writing.
Requirement enquiry
Send the requirement to the desk
Route, ready date and payload are enough for us to start checking operators.
Requirement data stays confidential; supplier identities and margins are never shared.
How to submit a requirement
How a requirement is handled.
You send the requirement straight to the desk — no account needed. We work it against operators immediately and come back with compared options.
- 01
Send the requirement
Route, ready date, weight, dimensions, commodity and handling notes — no account, a few minutes.
- 02
We check
Availability, payload and route permissions are checked directly with operators.
- 03
Receive options
Compared operator options with payload, slots, handling and timeline — one accountable contact.
- 04
Account (optional)
For status tracking and document exchange in the portal. Account verification is usually the same business day.
No supplier identities, margins or internal sourcing data are shared. Requirement data is treated confidentially.
Aircraft
- 01B737-800BCF and A321P2F for regional lift
- 02B757-200PF and B767-300F for mid-size programmes
- 03A330-200F, B777F and B747-400F for long-haul volume
- 04IL-76TD and An-124 for ramp and outsize loading
Availability is subject to route, payload, permits and operator acceptance.
Capacity structures
Four ways to buy the capacity
The same requirement can be bought as a whole aircraft, as a share of one, as reserved space on a running rotation or as leased capacity with crew. The structure decides the price far more than the aircraft type does.
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01
Full charter
One shipment fills a deck, or timing and commodity rule out sharing
You control the schedule, the loading plan and the routing.
02
Part charter
Volume fills part of a deck and the ready date tolerates consolidation
Cost is shared across shippers inside one build-up window.
03
Blocked space
Recurring volume on a lane that already has a rotation
A fixed allocation per flight, committed for a defined period.
04
ACMI / wet lease
Capacity is needed for weeks or months, not for one flight
Aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance leased against guaranteed block hours.
Fuel, ATC, airport charges, handling and de-icing sit outside an ACMI rate. On charter they are inside the quoted price unless stated otherwise.
Around the flight
What we coordinate besides the aircraft
A charter is only as good as the ground scope attached to it. These items are quoted and coordinated as part of the mission, not left to the shipper.
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Customs and documentation
Export and import entries, transit procedures, temporary export for repair, preferential origin papers and the broker interface at both ends.
ULD build-up and packing advice
Pallet and container build-up, load spreading, lashing plans and guidance where packaging would fail an operator acceptance check.
Trucking and last mile
Pre-carriage, on-carriage, air-ride equipment where needed, low-loaders and permitted road routes for outsize crates.
Permits and slots
Overflight, landing and cabotage permits, airport slots, night curfew handling and diplomatic clearances where they apply.
Temperature and monitoring
Cool storage, active or passive units, cool dollies, data loggers and shock or tilt indicators read at each handover.
Supervision and escorts
Loading supervision, attendants for live cargo, security escorts and sealed handovers for high-value consignments.
How brokerage works
What a cargo charter broker actually does
A broker turns a shipment description into a flyable plan. That means checking which aircraft types accept the cargo dimensions and commodity, which operators hold the traffic rights for the lane, whether the airports can handle the aircraft and the load, and what permits the routing requires.
The price is the last step, not the first. An option that is cheaper but cannot load through the door, or cannot get an overflight permit in time, is not an option.
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Broker versus booking direct with an operator
Booking direct works when you already know the right operator, the aircraft is free and the lane is routine. It stops working when the aircraft is somewhere else, the commodity is restricted, or the deadline needs three operators to be checked at once.
We publish an honest view of that: where going direct is faster, we say so. Where the market has to be searched, brokerage is what gets the aircraft.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Answers from daily desk work: payload, ready date, permits and cost drivers.
See all questionsThrough the margin inside the quoted price or an agreed fee. The price you are quoted is the price you pay; there are no charges added after the flight is contracted.
The operating carrier is confirmed as part of contracting, so you know who flies your cargo before you commit.
Direct works when the right aircraft is known and free. A broker is faster when several operators must be checked at once, when the lane needs permits, or when the commodity is restricted.
For standard lanes, options usually come back the same working day. Urgent and AOG requests are worked immediately by the 24/7 desk.
Yes. Charter agreement, permits, slots, handling instructions and flight watch run through the same contact that sourced the aircraft.
Talk to the desk
Urgent? Call the desk directly.
AOG and time-critical requirements can be raised by phone or email at any time — no account required.
- Phone
- +49 172 6111193
- Availability
- 24/7 for AOG and time-critical
- First response
- Usually within 60 minutes
Keep reading
Related services
Knowledge
- What is a cargo charter?How ad-hoc, full, part and series cargo charter work: pricing drivers, lead times, documen
- What is ACMI / wet lease?ACMI, wet lease, damp and dry lease compared: cost split, guaranteed block hours, regulato
- Cargo charter quote requirementsWhat a charter desk needs to price a freighter: route, ready date, weights, dimensions per
- Cargo charter cost driversCost guide
- How a cargo charter booking worksProcess guide
- Overflight and landing permits for cargo chartersCompliance guide
- Outsize and heavy air cargoLoading guide
- Temperature controlled air freightCool chain guide
Move the next mission
Send the requirement and the desk will come back with sourced options, or call now if it is time-critical.