Business relies heavily on air freight to move goods quickly around the world . Unlike sea freight , which goes back thousands of years , air freight has a relatively short , yet very colourful , history
Business relies heavily on air freight to move goods quickly around the world . Unlike sea freight , which goes back thousands of years , air freight has a relatively short , yet very colourful , history
1968
Boeing launches the 747 The 747 was the first aircraft wide enough to transport full pallets in its cargo hold . Its final design was offered in three configurations : all passenger , all cargo , and a convertible passenger and freighter model . The freighter was loaded through a hinged nose cone .
1990s
Dawn of the parcel carriers The idea of planes with the primary purpose of transporting cargo took off in the 90s . This was thanks to the growth of express parcel carriers such as FedEx , DHL and UPS , and also the rise of the internet , which made air freight a much more accessible and reliable prospect for importers and exporters .
Present day
A global marketplace The Internet went on to open up a global marketplace . Air freight offers a quick and easy way of moving goods , but it comes at a price ; shipping by sea is far cheaper . This is why retailers typically choose to fly high-value items ( jewellery , for example ) by air , and low-value items ( toys and household items ) by sea . supplychaindigital . com 17