Ad-hoc, full, part and series cargo charter
Cargo charter: a whole freighter for your shipment
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
With a cargo charter you book the entire aircraft — route, timing and loading plan follow your cargo, not an airline schedule. CCN, an independent broker, finds suitable freighters with operators, compares the offers and coordinates the flight until arrival.
24/7 charter desk
Options with payload, slots and handling — not just a price.
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.
What CCN handles on a freighter charter
- Matching aircraft type to piece sizes, total weight and density
- Requesting and comparing offers from several operators
- Structuring the deal: single flight, back-to-back or a series of rotations
- Checking airports for runway, apron, loader and curfew limits
- Arranging landing and overflight permits with the operator
- Lining up handling, ULD build-up and trucking at both ends
- Flight watch and status updates while the mission runs
Pieces that need a nose door or ramp are covered on the outsize and heavy cargo charter page.
Temperature-sensitive loads follow the requirements set out under pharma air charter.
Hazardous materials need operator acceptance first — see dangerous goods air charter.
When a full freighter charter is the right choice — and when it is not
A good fit when
- — The volume or piece size does not fit scheduled belly or freighter space
- — A fixed date or an airport without scheduled freighter service is required
- — A repeating peak on one lane justifies a series instead of single flights
Usually not the right choice when
- — A few pallets fit on a scheduled flight — scheduled air freight costs less
- — Capacity is needed for months with your own flight numbers — that is an ACMI programme
- — Transit time is not critical — sea or road freight is usually far cheaper
If scheduled air freight has run out, compare the options in air freight charter.
For long-term capacity under your own flight numbers see ACMI wet lease.
What drives the price is explained under 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 for a firm charter offer
Full checklist: what a firm cargo charter quote needs.
- 01Origin and destination airports (or cities, if open)
- 02Ready date and latest acceptable arrival
- 03Total gross weight and number of pieces
- 04Dimensions per piece (L × W × H) and stackability
- 05Commodity description; UN number if dangerous goods
- 06Special handling: temperature, security, live animals
- 07One-off flight or series, and the planned frequency
Freighter classes for a cargo charter (indicative)
The right class follows weight, piece size and the airports. Smaller freighters are often more economical for short regional legs; wide-bodies carry full main-deck loads over long distances.
- ATR 72-600FPayload: 9,200 kg structural · 7,930 kg volumetricCargo door: 2.94 m × 1.80 m (forward)
- 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)
- Boeing 747-400FPayload: 112,900 kg (747-8F: ≈ 134,000 kg — indicative value, not manufacturer-verified)Main deck side door: 3.4 m wide × 3.1 m high (clear opening)
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 a cargo charter
- Runway length and apron strength for the chosen type
- Night curfews and slot availability at both airports
- Overflight and landing permits, including lead times
- Main-deck loader and handling agent at the destination
- Main-deck door size versus the largest piece
From request to flight
- 01You send route, date, weight, dimensions and commodity.
- 02The desk checks feasibility and requests offers from suitable operators.
- 03You receive compared options and choose one.
- 04Contract, permits, slots and handling are confirmed; the flight is watched until arrival.
What a cargo 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
- Loading assumptions: pallet or loose, stackability, main-deck positions used
Questions
Frequently asked questions
See all questionsStandard cargo requests are typically quoted within a few hours; AOG and same-day missions are prioritised by the 24/7 desk, subject to operator response.
No. Cargo Charter Network is an independent broker. Aircraft are operated by regulated cargo operators we source, compare and coordinate on your behalf.
An air cargo charter is a freighter aircraft contracted for one specific movement or a defined programme, instead of buying space on a scheduled flight. The buyer controls the routing, the departure window and the loading plan, and the aircraft flies when the cargo is ready rather than when the network schedule allows.
Charter is used when the cargo is too heavy, too large, too urgent or too sensitive for scheduled capacity, or when an entire production line depends on one delivery date.
A full charter contracts the entire cargo capacity of the aircraft for your mission, so routing and timing follow only your requirement. A part charter combines several shippers on one aircraft when commodity, routing and timing are compatible, and the cost is shared pro rata against weight and volume.
A series charter is a repeating rotation over weeks or months, typically used for perishables, e-commerce peaks and industrial ramp-ups, and is priced against the whole programme rather than a single flight.
Both. Airport-to-airport is the default, and door-to-door is arranged through vetted trucking and handling partners, including customs clearance, temperature-controlled road feeder services and heavy-lift ground equipment where required. For project cargo we plan the ground legs before the flight, because road permits and crane windows often take longer to secure than the aircraft.
A ULD is a unit load device, either a pallet with a net or a container, used to build cargo into stable, loadable units. Main-deck operations usually require ULD build-up to a defined contour, and pallet availability at the origin airport is a real planning factor on remote stations.
For loose or oddly shaped cargo we plan build-up, lashing and tie-down with the handling agent in advance.
The operator applies for the permits, and we coordinate the process, track the approvals and escalate where a state is slow. Lead times differ sharply by country, from a few hours to several working days, and some states require additional documentation for military-related, dangerous or humanitarian cargo.
Permit timelines, not aircraft availability, are the most common reason an urgent departure slips.
Yes, through customs brokers on both ends of the lane, either as part of a door-to-door scope or coordinated alongside an airport-to-airport charter. Clearance is arranged in advance for time-critical movements so the aircraft is not waiting on documentation. For temporary imports, carnets and re-export cases we plan the customs path before the flight is confirmed.
