Skip to content
CCN Cargo Charter Network

Shanghai PVG → United States

China to USA air cargo charter

Dedicated freighters from Shanghai Pudong (PVG) to Los Angeles, Chicago and New York for volumes and dates that scheduled transpacific capacity cannot cover.

Air cargo unit load devices on the ramp

Leg distances

  • PVG Shanghai → LAX Los Angeles

    10,415 km[1][2]

    Beyond full-payload range: Anchorage stop or reduced load.

  • PVG Shanghai → ORD Chicago

    11,334 km[1]

    Stop for a full freighter.

  • PVG Shanghai → JFK New York

    11,874 km[1]

    Stop for a full freighter.

  • PVG Shanghai → ANC Anchorage

    6,919 km[1]

    First leg of the classic transpacific routing.

  • ANC Anchorage → ORD Chicago

    4,568 km[1]

    Onward leg; to Los Angeles 3,771 km, to New York 5,434 km.

Aircraft reference

  • Boeing 777F — range at maximum payload (102,010 kg)

    9,200 km[2]

  • Boeing 747-400F — design range (payload 112,900 kg)

    8,250 km[5]

Why most heavy transpacific charters stop in Anchorage

Anchorage sits close to the great-circle line between East Asia and the US. Splitting the trip into 6,919 km to Anchorage and 3,771–5,434 km onward keeps both legs well inside full-payload range, so the aircraft can leave Shanghai at its maximum weight. A one-leg flight to Los Angeles works only with fewer tonnes.

For a charter quote the question is therefore the same as on every long lane: how many tonnes do you need to move, and does the stop cost less than the payload you would otherwise leave behind.

[1][2]

Charter approvals on both sides

Charters between China and the US need approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China and authority from the US Department of Transportation. Which operators can obtain them, and how quickly, changes over time. We check this per flight before an offer names an aircraft, because an unapproved slot is worth nothing.

[3]

PVG–LAX: Shanghai to Los Angeles

Los Angeles is the closest major US gateway to Shanghai and the usual choice for cargo distributed on the West Coast. With a stop in Anchorage the two legs are 6,919 km and 3,771 km.

[1]

Plan a charter from China

The form opens with Shanghai (PVG) as origin. Add the US destination, tonnage and ready date. No account needed.

Request a Charter Quote

PVG–ORD and PVG–JFK: Chicago and New York

Chicago is the natural gateway for the Midwest and for onward trucking across the eastern half of the US; New York for the Northeast. Both are beyond one-leg reach at full payload and follow the same Anchorage pattern, with an onward leg of 4,568 km to Chicago or 5,434 km to New York.

[1]

Routing does not change customs origin

Flying goods through a third country — in Asia, the Middle East or Africa — does not change where they were made. Section 301 duties, antidumping and countervailing duties and import bans apply according to origin, and CBP investigates transshipment that tries to hide it. We do not offer routings designed to change the declared origin of cargo.

Electronics, solar products and machinery from China often fall under these measures. Clear duties and documents with your US customs broker before the flight is booked.

[6][7][4][8]

US arrival requirements

Advance cargo data is filed with CBP no later than before loading in Shanghai — and if the routing changes, the data must follow. An importer of record with a US customs broker clears the cargo on arrival.

[9]

Related pages

Questions

How far is Shanghai from Los Angeles by air?

10,415 km great-circle distance between PVG and LAX — beyond the full-payload range of a 777F, which is why heavy charters usually stop in Anchorage.

Do China–USA cargo charters need special approval?

Yes. A charter needs approval from China's CAAC and authority from the US Department of Transportation. Availability depends on the operator.

Does routing via another country lower US tariffs on Chinese goods?

No. Duties follow the country of origin, not the route. Transshipment to disguise origin is investigated by CBP and can lead to penalties.

When is a charter better than scheduled air freight from China?

When the volume fills most of a freighter, when the date is fixed, or when scheduled capacity is sold out — for example in peak season or before a tariff change.

Plan a charter from China

The form opens with Shanghai (PVG) as origin. Add the US destination, tonnage and ready date. No account needed.

Request a Charter Quote