Priority air
Earliest available capacity for urgent and high-value commercial cargo, on direct routings wherever they exist.
Air freight services
Air freight is bought for time, so the only version worth having is one where the booking, the screening, the customs entry and the delivery are coordinated. A cheap air rate that sits two days in a terminal has cost you the thing you paid for.
Deferred air
A later flight or transhipped routing at a lower rate, for cargo that must fly but can absorb a few extra days.
Consolidated air
Smaller consignments grouped into a single air waybill, which lowers the per-kilogram cost for regular shippers.
Clearance and delivery
Arrival documents, SARS clearance, duty and VAT, and final-mile coordination anywhere in South Africa.
South African air cargo gateways
| Airport | Code | Typically used for |
|---|---|---|
| OR Tambo International, Johannesburg | JNB | The primary cargo gateway. Widest carrier choice and the default for Gauteng and inland cargo. |
| Cape Town International | CPT | Western Cape imports and exports, and perishable and temperature-controlled cargo. |
| King Shaka International, Durban | DUR | KwaZulu-Natal cargo and shipments coordinated alongside sea freight through Durban port. |
Indicative air freight transit times
| Region | Priority | Deferred |
|---|---|---|
| UAE and Middle East | 2–5 days | 4–8 days |
| United Kingdom and Europe | 3–7 days | 5–10 days |
| China and the Far East | 4–8 days | 6–12 days |
| United States | 4–9 days | 7–12 days |
| Rest of Africa | 2–6 days | 4–9 days |
Airport to airport. Add one to three working days at each end for collection, security screening, clearance and delivery.
How chargeable weight works
Almost every dispute about an air freight invoice comes down to this calculation, so it is worth understanding before you book.
- Measure the cargo. Length × width × height in centimetres, per piece, including the pallet or crate.
- Calculate volumetric weight. Divide the total volume in cubic centimetres by 6,000. That gives the volumetric weight in kilograms.
- Compare. Whichever is higher — actual gross weight or volumetric weight — is the chargeable weight.
- Add the fixed costs. Air waybill fee, security screening, terminal handling at origin and destination.
- Add customs. The SAD500 entry, duty at the tariff rate, and 15% VAT on the duty-inclusive value for imports.
- Reduce it if you can. Tighter packing that lowers volume lowers the price directly. It is the cheapest saving available on air freight.
Documents and special cargo
Standard documents
Air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, SAD500 bill of entry, and a customs client code registered with SARS.
Dangerous goods
Correct IATA classification, packing, marking and a shipper’s declaration. Airline and route acceptance must be confirmed before booking.
Perishables
Temperature control, tight scheduling and pre-arranged clearance so the cold chain is not broken at the terminal.
Permits and certificates
ITAC permits, NRCS letters of authority, DAFF permits and certificates of origin, depending on the commodity.
Air freight rates and chargeable weight explained
Airlines do not charge you for what your shipment weighs. They charge for whichever is greater: actual weight, or volumetric weight calculated at 1 m³ = 167 kg.
That single rule decides whether air freight is affordable for you. A pallet of dense spares at 400 kg in half a cubic metre is charged on its actual weight and prices well. The same pallet volume filled with light packaging is charged on volume and can cost three times what the invoice weight suggests. Before quoting we ask for dimensions per piece, not just a total weight, because that is the only way to give you a number that will not move at check-in.
The rest of an air freight rate to South Africa is made up of the airline's fuel and security surcharges, terminal handling at origin and destination, airway bill and screening fees, customs clearance, and delivery from OR Tambo. We show these as separate lines rather than bundling them, because a bundled all-in rate is where surprises hide.
Air cargo corridors into OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka
Most inbound air cargo arrives through OR Tambo International in Johannesburg, either on direct widebody services or via a hub. From Shanghai, Hong Kong and Guangzhou expect one to three days in the air with a transhipment through Dubai, Doha or Addis Ababa. From Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Heathrow and Paris a direct overnight service is usually available. Dubai and Istanbul are the fastest realistic corridors into Johannesburg and often the cheapest route for Middle East and Turkish suppliers.
We clear at the OR Tambo air cargo terminal and truck onward to Pretoria, Centurion, Johannesburg and the rest of Gauteng the same day where the release allows. For Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal consignees we either bond the cargo through to Cape Town International and King Shaka, or clear at OR Tambo and move it by road, depending on which gets your goods there faster and cheaper.
1–3days from Asia
1–2days from Europe & UAE
167 kgchargeable weight per m³
Same dayGauteng delivery on release
When air freight actually beats sea freight
Air freight is roughly five to fifteen times the cost of sea per kilogram, so the decision is rarely about the freight bill on its own.
It wins when the cost of not having the goods is higher than the cost of flying them. A production line standing still, a tender deadline, a retail promotion with a fixed start date, or a spare part holding up a piece of plant all justify air freight easily. It also wins on high-value, low-volume cargo where the freight is a small percentage of the goods value, and on anything with a short shelf life.
There is a working-capital argument too that importers often miss. Sea freight from Asia ties up stock for four to six weeks between payment and shelf. Air freight compresses that to days, which for fast-moving lines can genuinely cost less than the interest and stockholding it replaces. Where the numbers are close we quote both, and for larger programmes we often split: air the first tranche to open the sales window, ship the balance by sea behind it. Our sea freight service page sets out the alternative in detail.
Perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods and AOG
Specialised air cargo is mostly a documentation and handling problem rather than a flying problem.
South African agricultural exports — citrus, grapes, flowers, chilled protein — need cold-chain integrity from pack house to aircraft, a phytosanitary certificate from DALRRD, and booking on an aircraft type that can hold the temperature. Pharmaceuticals need validated temperature-controlled containers and SAHPRA compliance. Dangerous goods need IATA-compliant classification, packing, marking and a shipper's declaration, and getting that wrong means the freight is refused at the terminal rather than delayed in it.
We also handle aircraft-on-ground and emergency spares, where the shipment is booked on the next available flight and cleared on arrival regardless of the hour. Tell us what the cargo is and what the deadline is, and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable before you commit to it.
Air freight rates from China, the UK, Europe, the USA and the UAE
Air freight rates into South Africa move constantly — they follow capacity, fuel, security surcharges and the season. What does not move is the logic behind them, and understanding that logic is how you stop overpaying.
An air freight rate is built from a base rate per chargeable kilogram, a fuel surcharge, a security surcharge, origin handling and export customs at the departure airport, then import clearance, terminal handling and delivery at the South African end. Two quotes can look wildly different simply because one includes the airport terminal handling and the other does not. We quote the full chain so you can compare like with like.
Rates step down at weight breaks — typically at 45 kg, 100 kg, 300 kg, 500 kg and 1 000 kg. If your shipment sits just below a break, consolidating one more carton into it can genuinely reduce the total cost, not just the cost per kilogram. We check that on every quote instead of simply passing the carrier tariff through.
On the China lane we uplift from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou into OR Tambo, usually with one transit stop. From the UK and Europe we load at Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris with the shortest transits on the network. From the UAE, Dubai is close to a next-day service into Johannesburg, which makes it the best option when a production line is waiting. From the USA we work JFK, Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles, and here the routing matters more than the rate because the wrong connection can add two days.
Peak season is real. Chinese New Year, Golden Week, the pre-Christmas rush and any sudden ocean disruption all push air rates up and capacity down. If you know a critical shipment is coming, tell us early and we will book space rather than chase it.
45 to 1000 kgWeight breaks we check on every quote
1 to 2 daysDubai to Johannesburg airport to airport
80+Origin countries on our air network
AOGAircraft-on-ground and critical spares desk
Compare the alternatives on our sea freight page, and if your cargo needs a customs entry the moment it lands, our customs clearance team pre-frames it before the aircraft touches down.
Air freight FAQs
How is air freight priced?
Air freight is charged on chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. Volumetric weight is calculated by dividing the cargo volume in cubic centimetres by 6,000. So a light but bulky pallet is priced on its size, not its scale weight. On top of the rate you pay the air waybill fee, security screening, terminal handling at both ends, the customs entry, and duty and VAT on import.
How long does air freight to South Africa take?
Dubai to OR Tambo is typically 2 to 5 days, Europe and the UK 3 to 7 days, China and the Far East 4 to 8 days, and the United States 4 to 9 days. Those are airport to airport. Add one to three working days at each end for collection, screening, customs clearance and final delivery. Deferred services are cheaper and usually run a few days longer than priority.
What is the difference between priority and deferred air freight?
Priority air books the earliest available capacity and is used when the delivery date is the constraint. Deferred air accepts a later flight or a routing with a transhipment in exchange for a lower rate. If your cargo can wait an extra three or four days, deferred often costs meaningfully less for the same result.
Which airports does Zeen Freight work through?
OR Tambo International in Johannesburg (JNB) is the main cargo gateway and handles the majority of South African air freight. Cape Town International (CPT) is used for Western Cape cargo and perishables, and King Shaka in Durban (DUR) for KwaZulu-Natal. We arrange collection and delivery nationally from any of the three.
What documents does an air shipment need?
The air waybill, a commercial invoice and a packing list at minimum. South African imports and exports also need a SAD500 bill of entry and a customs client code registered with SARS. Dangerous goods need a shipper’s declaration and IATA-compliant packing and labelling, and some commodities need permits or certificates of origin.
Can you ship dangerous goods or perishables by air?
Dangerous goods can move by air where they are correctly classified, packed, marked and declared under IATA rules, and where the airline accepts the class on that route. Perishables need temperature control and tight timing, so the booking, the screening slot and the clearance all have to line up. Both need to be discussed before booking rather than at the airport.
When does air freight actually beat sea freight?
When the cost of the delay is bigger than the cost of the freight. For high-value, low-volume, or urgent cargo, air usually wins. For dense, bulky or low-value goods it rarely does. A useful rule of thumb: if the cargo is worth less per kilogram than the air rate premium, ship it by sea and plan earlier.