What are the reasons for delays in international air freight?
Although international air freight has stable delivery time, there may still be delays of 1 to several days in actual shipments, and some peak seasons or special scenarios may even experience long-term delays. To quickly cut losses and reduce customer complaints, it is necessary to first identify the causes of delays and then adopt standardized solutions accordingly. Air freight delays are mainly divided into five categories: force majeure, airline capacity, customs clearance, operational errors, and transit congestion.
Force majeure factors are unavoidable external risks, including extreme weather such as typhoon, rainstorm, snowstorm and fog, as well as airspace control, military exercises, temporary airport closure and public health control. This type of situation can directly lead to flight delays, alternate landings, or cancellations, and airlines are usually exempt from liability and unable to claim compensation. It is also the most common reason for delays during peak and changing seasons. In addition, fluctuations in the international situation and temporary port controls can also cause widespread flight delays.
The issue of airline and airport capacity is a controllable fluctuation for enterprises. Airlines may temporarily adjust flights based on cargo volume, crew status, and aircraft maintenance, resulting in aircraft type changes, flight mergers, flight cancellations, cabin reductions, and other situations. Especially during the peak season of logistics, the volume of goods has skyrocketed, and the processing capacity of airport cargo terminals has become saturated. The speed of palletizing, security checks, and loading has slowed down, resulting in a large backlog of goods queuing up, causing an overall delay in delivery time. The transfer of goods is more obvious, and the delay in the early stage directly leads to the inability to connect the later stage, requiring re booking for transfer.
Abnormal customs declaration and clearance are the main reasons for human delays, accounting for more than 30% of daily delays. Vague product name declaration, HS code classification error, abnormal value declaration, and inconsistent documents will trigger manual inspection by the system; Sensitive goods without MSDS, filing reports, and authorization documents will be directly detained and detained; Failure to timely pay customs clearance taxes and fees in the destination country, incorrect receiving information, and incomplete import qualifications can also result in long-term inability to release goods, far exceeding the delay time of the flight itself.
Operational and shipping errors can also cause human delays. The shipper will miss the current flight if they deliver the goods near the deadline, if the packaging is not compliant and needs to be reworked, or if the size and weight of the goods exceed the standard and need to be reprocessed. Errors in information input by freight forwarders, incorrect waybills, and missing information can also result in the inability to declare goods properly and load them smoothly, leading to the postponement of the next shipment.
In case of air freight delays, standardized procedures need to be followed for handling. Firstly, confirm the reasons for the delay as soon as possible, distinguish between force majeure, airline reasons, customs clearance reasons, and operational reasons, and clarify the responsible parties. Secondly, urgently synchronize with customers, update expected delivery times, and avoid complaints. If the airline arranges for cabin clearance or flight cancellation, immediately arrange for urgent cabin replenishment, prioritize boarding, and try to connect with the nearest flight as much as possible; If there is a customs declaration issue, immediately rectify the documents, cooperate with inspection, pay taxes and fees, and release quickly; If there is an operational error, promptly correct the information and reapply. Finally, prepare a contingency plan, and emergency high-value goods can be changed to direct flights or channels to minimize delay losses. Long term shipments can be prepared in advance for off peak stocking and customs clearance, reducing the probability of delays from the source.