Air cargo charter glossary

One customer books the entire aircraft for a defined routing. Payload is not shared, the schedule follows the cargo, and the price is built from block hours rather than from kilos.

Several shippers share one charter flight and its cost, allocated by chargeable weight or occupied positions. It lowers the unit price but ties departure to the readiness of every participant.

A lease in which the operator provides Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance, and the lessee pays for fuel, fees, handling and permits. It is priced per block hour against a monthly minimum guarantee and is used for capacity gaps lasting weeks or months.

An ACMI variant where the lessee supplies part of the crew, typically cabin or loadmaster personnel, while the operator keeps the aircraft, flight crew and maintenance. Approval depends on the operator's regulator.

The aircraft only, with no crew, maintenance or insurance. The lessee operates it under its own air operator certificate, which makes it a fleet decision rather than a capacity purchase.

The block hours an ACMI lessee pays for each month whether or not they are flown. It protects the operator's utilisation and is the single figure that decides whether a wet lease is cheaper than repeated ad hoc charters.

Time from chocks off at origin to chocks on at destination, including taxi. Charter and ACMI rates are quoted per block hour, so every added leg, diversion or tech stop is directly visible in the price.

The empty flight that brings the aircraft to the loading airport, plus the empty leg away after offload. On thin lanes these legs can exceed the revenue sector and often carry 30 to 60 percent of the total charter price.

A charter priced for a single direction where the operator finds a follow-on mission at the destination. It is cheaper than a round trip but only available where the return market is active.

An independent intermediary that sources aircraft across operators, compares them commercially and manages the mission. A broker holds no aircraft, which is what allows a neutral comparison of operators for each requirement.

The upper cargo compartment of a freighter, accessible through a large side or nose door. Main deck access is what allows tall and heavy pieces that no passenger aircraft belly can accept.

The lower deck hold of a passenger or combi aircraft. It is limited to lower-hold height and is the capacity that disappears first when airlines cut schedules.

A certified pallet or container that holds cargo as one restrained unit. ULD type governs contour, height and net requirements, and the wrong build-up is a common reason for rejection at acceptance.

The closed variant of a ULD, as opposed to a pallet with a net. Codes such as AKE and LD3 denote lower-deck containers, AMA a main-deck box; each has a fixed base, contour and tare weight. Containers protect against weather and pilferage but lose a little usable volume to their own walls, which matters on volumetric cargo.

The standard 96 by 125 inch main deck pallet used across most freighters. Height limits vary by aircraft and position, which is why the contour, not just the footprint, must be confirmed before build-up.

The permitted outer shape of a built-up pallet, following the fuselage curve at its stowage position. A load that exceeds contour has to be rebuilt or moved to a different position, costing turnaround time.

The higher of actual weight and volumetric weight, the latter usually calculated at 1 cubic metre to 167 kilograms. It matters in part charters and general air freight; a full charter is priced on the aircraft, not on this figure.

The weight a shipment is treated as having because of the space it occupies, in air freight normally 1 cubic metre to 167 kilograms. Light bulky cargo is billed on this figure rather than on the scale reading, and it is the reason foam, furniture and packaging fill an aircraft long before its payload limit.

The relationship between fuel carried and payload available. On long sectors an aircraft leaves cargo behind to carry fuel, which is why a tech stop can be cheaper than a larger freighter.

The structural limit of the cargo floor, expressed as running load per metre and point load per contact area. Compact heavy pieces breach it well below the aircraft payload limit and need spreader beams and shoring.

Cargo that exceeds door aperture, fuselage contour or floor loading limits of standard freighters. Geometry, not weight, is what usually makes a shipment outsize and pushes it towards nose or ramp loaders.

Loading over a nose or tail ramp so that wheeled and tracked units can be driven or winched aboard. It removes cranes and disassembly from the plan and shortens ground time on project cargo.

The high-lift ground equipment that raises pallets to main deck height. Its rated capacity at the destination airport frequently decides the aircraft type more than the cargo itself.

The transport document and contract of carriage for an air cargo consignment. It carries shipper, consignee, description, weight and handling instructions, and errors on it stop acceptance at the counter.

The written notice informing the commander about dangerous goods and other special loads on board, with positions and classes. It is issued before departure and is a hard requirement, not an internal formality.

The shipper's declaration classifying hazardous cargo under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, with UN number, packing group and quantity. An incorrect declaration is the most common cause of last-minute rejection.

The annual rulebook that translates ICAO Technical Instructions into operational requirements for packing, marking and documenting hazardous air cargo. Operator variations apply on top and differ between carriers.

The rule set governing crate construction, ventilation, marking, feeding and acceptance of live animals in air transport. Veterinary and import rules of both countries apply alongside it.

The permit required to move protected species across borders, issued separately for export and import. Missing CITES paperwork grounds a shipment regardless of aircraft availability.

The veterinary inspection facility at the destination airport that must be approved for the species and staffed at arrival. Arrivals outside its opening hours create avoidable standing time for live animals.

The pharmaceutical distribution standard covering temperature control, documentation and qualified handling along the chain. In air charter it drives station selection, cool storage and logger evidence.

IATA's Center of Excellence for Independent Validators programme, with separate tracks for pharma, fresh and live animals. It signals that a station or handler has been audited against a defined handling standard.

A shipper approved under aviation security rules to tender secure cargo without additional screening. Where the status is absent, cargo must be screened, which adds time and can limit build-up options.

A customs regime allowing a part to leave and return without full import duty, used heavily for aircraft components. The regime is fixed before departure so that arrival does not end in a bonded warehouse.

State approval to cross a country's airspace, applied for per flight with aircraft, route and cargo details. Lead times range from hours to several working days and are usually the critical path on urgent missions.

State or airport approval to land, separate from the slot. Some countries require both a civil aviation permit and a customs or military clearance for the same landing.

The allocated time window for arrival or departure at a coordinated airport. A permit without a slot, or a slot without ground handling, does not produce a flight.

A local restriction on movements during defined night hours, sometimes waivable for humanitarian or AOG flights. Curfews frequently decide the departure time of an otherwise ready mission.

The regulatory limits on crew duty and flight time. They determine whether a routing needs a tech stop, a crew change or a second crew on board, all of which change the price.

An intermediate landing for fuel or crew reasons without cargo handling. It adds block hours and fees but is often cheaper than upgrading to a larger aircraft for range.

The crew member responsible for load planning, restraint and weight and balance on the aircraft. On outsize and special loads the loadmaster's assessment is the final word at the ramp.

An aircraft grounded away from base awaiting a part. Each day of downtime costs a multiple of the transport bill, which is why AOG charters are decided on arrival time rather than rate.

A refrigerated apron trailer that protects temperature-sensitive cargo between warehouse and aircraft. Ramp exposure, not flight time, is where most cold chains actually break.

A powered temperature-controlled ULD that holds a set range using its own cooling unit. It needs charging, positioning and lease planning, so it is booked with the aircraft rather than after it.

Insulated boxes with phase change material or dry ice, rated for a defined duration. It is simpler than an active container but the rating is a hard clock that includes every hour of ground time.

Solid carbon dioxide used as a refrigerant, classified as dangerous goods in air transport. The quantity per package is limited and must be declared, since sublimation affects both weight and ventilation.