Freighter capacity for forwarders and shippers
Air freight charter when scheduled capacity runs out
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
Scheduled air freight works until it does not: space is sold out, the cut-off has passed or a piece exceeds what the belly or a scheduled freighter accepts. Then the question is what to switch to — a full charter, a part charter or a consolidation on someone else's flight. CCN compares those options for shippers and forwarders.
Full-charter capacity
When scheduled belly space runs out, a whole aircraft moves the shipment.
CCN is an independent broker and operates no aircraft. Each mission is placed with a regulated operator after comparing several options. How independent brokerage works.
What CCN handles when a shipment falls off scheduled service
- Checking why the booking failed: space, cut-off, piece size or commodity
- Comparing full charter, part charter and consolidation for the same shipment
- Looking for part-charter space on flights already planned on your lane
- Aligning the charter with existing bookings, AWBs and customs status
- Coordinating trucking to an alternative departure airport if that is faster
- Keeping the forwarder or shipper as the single point of contact
If the whole aircraft is needed, the details are on cargo charter.
Forwarders who want to keep their customer relationship should read charter for freight forwarders.
Seasonal shortages are covered under capacity and peaks.
When to switch from scheduled air freight — and when not
A good fit when
- — Scheduled space is sold out for several days on the lane
- — Pieces exceed the belly or the scheduled freighter's door or contour
- — Several shippers' cargo for the same lane can be combined on one aircraft
Usually not the right choice when
- — The next scheduled flight with space is acceptable for the delivery date
- — The volume is small and a part charter cannot be found — the per-kg cost then rises sharply
- — The deadline is weeks away — sea-air or road can cover it
If a production line is waiting, see time-critical air freight.
For price drivers and quote structure see cargo charter cost.
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.
Full charter
One shipment fills a deck, or timing and commodity rule out sharing
You control the schedule, the loading plan and the routing.
Part charter
Volume fills part of a deck and the ready date tolerates consolidation
Cost is shared across shippers inside one build-up window.
Blocked space
Recurring volume on a lane that already has a rotation
A fixed allocation per flight, committed for a defined period.
ACMI / wet lease
Capacity is needed for weeks or months, not for one flight
Aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance leased against guaranteed block hours.
What the desk needs to compare charter options
Full checklist: what a firm cargo charter quote needs.
- 01Lane and the booking that failed (carrier, date, reason if known)
- 02Ready date and the date the cargo must arrive
- 03Chargeable weight, pieces and dimensions per piece
- 04Commodity and any special handling
- 05Whether the cargo can be split across flights
- 06Whether the cargo may share the aircraft with other shippers
Typical freighters for an air freight charter (indicative)
Narrow-body freighters suit pallets that missed a regional connection; wide-bodies replace a full scheduled allocation.
- Boeing 737-800BCFPayload: 21,450 kgMain deck door: 3.40 m × 2.16 m (side)
- Boeing 757-200FPayload: ≈ 39,000 kgMain deck door: 3.40 m × 2.18 m (side)
- Boeing 767-300FPayload: 53,977–54,884 kg (by engine)Main deck door: 3.40 m × 2.54 m (side)
- Boeing 777FPayload: ≈ 102,000 kgMain deck door: 3.72 m × 3.05 m (side)
Indicative — depends on route, fuel, density and operator. CCN operates no aircraft; types shown are examples operators offer, not a fleet.
Limits to check before switching to a charter
- Whether the cargo is already tendered or screened for another carrier
- Customs status and documents that must be re-issued
- Minimum volume that makes a part charter viable on the lane
- Handling capacity for an ad-hoc freighter at the airport
From failed booking to charter flight
- 01You send the shipment data and the reason scheduled service failed.
- 02The desk compares full charter, part charter and consolidation options.
- 03You choose; the desk confirms the aircraft and re-routes documents with you.
- 04Handling and trucking are aligned and the flight is watched until arrival.
What an air freight charter offer contains
- Aircraft type, operator and registration where already allocated
- Routing, technical stops and planned timings (local times)
- Usable payload and volume for your cargo on this routing
- Price basis (per flight, per block hour or per rotation), currency and validity
- Inclusions and exclusions — handling, fuel, permits, insurance, positioning
- Subject-to conditions: availability at signature, permits, slots, operator acceptance
- For part charter: your share of the aircraft and how the price is split
Questions
Frequently asked questions
See all questionsIn practice they describe the same service. Air freight charter is the term forwarders and shippers use; cargo charter is the term used more often by operators and brokers.
For available aircraft with permits in place, same-day departures are possible. Realistic timing depends on positioning, crew duty, slots and overflight or landing permits on the routing.
Yes. Part charter shares one freighter across shippers whose commodities and timing align, priced pro-rata against payload and volume.
Expedited air freight is still scheduled capacity with priority handling, so it depends on the airline's flight plan, available space and any offload risk at transit points. A charter removes both the schedule and the offload risk, because the aircraft is contracted for your cargo alone.
Where a shipment is too large for a scheduled main deck, or where a single day of delay costs more than the flight, charter is usually the cheaper answer in total cost terms.
Air freight uses the greater of actual gross weight and volumetric weight, with volumetric weight commonly calculated as length by width by height in centimetres divided by 6000. Charter pricing works differently, because you pay for the aircraft rather than per kilogram, but the same volume-versus-weight logic decides which aircraft is efficient for your cargo.
Light, bulky cargo runs out of volume before payload, which usually points to a larger main deck rather than a heavier one.
