Cargo catalog
The 100 commodities that travel most by air cargo
Air cargo carries less than 1% of world trade by volume and more than a third by value. It is reserved for what is urgent, valuable or perishable.
According to IATA, less than 1% of world trade by volume travels by air, but about 35% by value. Air freight costs more per kilo, so it pays off when the goods are worth a lot, expire soon or stop an operation if they do not arrive.
These are the 100 commodities most often moved by air, grouped by the reason that justifies the flight.
- Technology, electronics and telecommunications 20
- Pharmaceutical, medical and life sciences 20
- Perishables: premium food and flowers 20
- Automotive and aerospace 15
- Fashion, consumer goods and luxury items 15
- Documents, courier, specialized manufacturing and valuables 10
20 commodities
Technology, electronics and telecommunications
What we look after
High value, low volume: lithium batteries under the IATA regulations, antistatic packaging and declared-value insurance.
See the related service- Microchips and semiconductors
- Mobile phones (smartphones)
- Laptop computers
- Tablets and e-readers
- Motherboards
- Graphics cards (GPUs)
- RAM and solid-state drives (SSD)
- Hard drives
- Replacement OLED and LCD screens
- Commercial and civil drones
- Game consoles at launch
- 5G network components
- Enterprise servers on urgent orders
- Professional cameras
- High-end camera lenses
- Smartwatches
- High-fidelity wireless headphones
- Spare parts for telecom towers
- Optical and infrared sensors
- Industrial robotics components
20 commodities
Pharmaceutical, medical and life sciences
What we look after
Temperature-sensitive and urgent: 2 to 8 °C, 15 to 25 °C or ultra-frozen, with temperature records and health regulation.
See the related service- Human and veterinary vaccines
- Cold-chain medicines such as insulin
- Biologic and oncology medicines
- Rapid diagnostic tests
- Serums and blood plasma
- Human organs for transplant
- Human tissue for grafts
- Laboratory chemical reagents
- Stem cells and clinical-trial biological samples
- Medical isotopes for scanners
- Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators
- Custom prostheses and advanced orthopedics
- Specialized surgical supplies
- Contact lenses and intraocular lenses
- Heart valves
- Portable ultrasound equipment
- Precision dental instruments
- Titanium dental implants
- Ventilators for emergencies
- Gene sequencing equipment
20 commodities
Perishables: premium food and flowers
What we look after
Very short shelf life: pre-cooling, airport cut-off times and plant-health or animal-health certificates.
See the related service- Fresh cut flowers: roses and tulips
- Berries: strawberries, blackberries and raspberries
- Fresh cherries
- Fresh asparagus
- Truffles
- Caviar
- Fresh salmon and live shellfish
- Sushi-grade yellowfin or bluefin tuna
- Live lobsters
- Baby eels (elvers)
- High-yield agricultural seeds
- Ornamental plant cuttings
- Exotic meats and premium cuts (Kobe, Wagyu)
- Fast-ripening artisan cheeses
- Hatching eggs
- Live yeasts and cultures for the food industry
- Pure vanilla concentrates and extracts
- Saffron and high-value spices
- Beneficial insects for pest control
- Wine and spirits samples for competitions and importers
15 commodities
Automotive and aerospace
What we look after
Just-in-time and line-down: first available flight, on-board courier or charter when a plant or an aircraft is stopped.
See the related service- AOG (Aircraft on Ground) spare parts
- Complete aircraft engines
- Satellite parts and aerospace equipment
- Vehicle airbags
- Automotive wiring harnesses
- Electronic control panels for cars
- Steering wheels and power steering systems
- Automotive computers (ECUs)
- Vehicle prototypes and test engines
- Carbon fiber components
- Replacement automotive transmissions
- LIDAR sensors and cameras for autonomous cars
- Formula 1 and motorsport components
- First-class aircraft seats
- Aircraft valves and actuators
15 commodities
Fashion, consumer goods and luxury items
What we look after
Time to market and high value: secure transport, declared-value insurance and discreet handling.
See the related service- Haute couture and designer clothing
- Fashion collections for the change of season
- Luxury shoes and limited-edition sneakers
- Fine leather bags and accessories
- High-end cosmetics and makeup
- Perfumes and fragrance extracts
- Gold, platinum and silver jewelry
- Swiss mechanical watches
- Loose diamonds and gemstones
- Designer sunglasses
- Exotic leathers and fine tannery goods
- Artworks and sculptures
- Antiques and museum pieces
- Classical musical instruments, such as luthier violins
- Precious metal bullion: gold, silver and palladium
10 commodities
Documents, courier, specialized manufacturing and valuables
What we look after
Valuables, official documents and diplomatic pouches only on behalf of the institution that owns them and with authorized secure-transport operators.
See the related service- Diplomatic pouches
- Blank passports and visas
- Banknotes and minted coins
- Blank chip credit and debit cards
- Urgent international mail
- Legal documents and original contracts
- Light industrial turbines
- Oil drilling tools (diamond bits)
- Precision molds and dies for plastic injection
- Components and lasers for optical machinery
Is your cargo missing from the list?
Tell us what it is, where it ships from and where it is going. If it can be moved legally, we will tell you the route, the mode of transport and the permits it needs.
More lists in the catalog
- 30 commodities
Cargo categories
Containerized, liquid bulk, dry bulk, refrigerated and project cargo.
See the full list - 50 commodities
Mexico exports
Vehicles, electronics, medical devices, minerals, food and beverages.
See the full list - 50 commodities
Mexico imports
Electronics, automotive, energy, chemicals, metals and grains.
See the full list - 51 commodities
Cold chain and frozen
Chilled at 2 to 15 °C and frozen at -18 to -70 °C, with traceability.
See the full list - 50 commodities
By transport mode
Full container, consolidated, air and truck: 40 product lines and Mexico's top 10.
See the full list
Frequently asked questions
What clients ask us most
- When does it make sense to ship by air?
- When the goods are high-value, urgent or perishable, or when a delay costs more than the freight: a stopped production line, a grounded aircraft, a launch with a fixed date or a medicine that expires.
- Which goods are restricted on aircraft?
- Dangerous goods: lithium batteries, dry ice, aerosols, chemicals, perfumes or radioactive material. They travel under the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, with specific packaging, labels and a declaration, and some are accepted only on freighter aircraft.
- How is air freight charged?
- By chargeable weight: the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight (length by width by height in centimeters, divided by 6,000). A light but large box pays for the space it takes up.
- What does AOG mean?
- Aircraft on Ground: an aircraft that cannot fly until it receives a spare part. It is the top priority in air cargo; the part leaves on the first available flight or with an on-board courier.