Air Freight Vehicle Shipping from the UK

Air freight is the fastest way to move a vehicle internationally. From London Heathrow, Stansted, East Midlands and Manchester we book daily cargo capacity with Cargolux, Emirates SkyCargo, Qatar Airways Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, IAG Cargo and Atlas Air for guaranteed transit of 3 to 7 days door to door.

Ship Cars RoRo coordinates the full process: collection from anywhere in the UK, IATA-compliant fuel draining and battery isolation, custom-built ULD pallets or AKE/PMC racking, export customs and AWB documentation, and clearance at the destination airport. Air freight is the recommended option for supercars, race cars heading to international events, classic cars going to auction, vehicles ordered for tax-deadline registration, and any shipment where the value of the cargo or the cost of delay materially exceeds the freight rate.

Air freight makes commercial sense when the value of the cargo or the cost of delay materially exceeds the freight premium. Typical use cases include supercars and hypercars worth £200,000 or more, manufacturer pre-launch units to international auto shows, race cars to events on tight calendars (Le Mans, Goodwood, Daytona, Bathurst), classic auction lots with hard delivery dates, dealer demonstrators to launch territories, and motorsport spares needed within days. Climate-controlled cargo holds eliminate the corrosion risk of long-haul sea freight, and minimal handling between origin and destination keeps damage risk close to zero.

We book the vehicle onto a single ULD pallet (AKE, PMC or AMA depending on size) at the UK airport, secure with airline-approved straps, drain fuel to IATA limits, isolate the battery and file the air waybill. Indicative 2026 customer rates door-to-door: Europe from £4,500, Middle East from £7,500, USA from £9,500, Asia from £11,500, Australia from £14,500. Pricing covers UK collection by enclosed transporter, IATA preparation, ULD loading, airport handling, the AWB, marine all-risks insurance and destination customs clearance through our partner agents.

Pre-shipment preparation is more involved than sea freight. Fuel must be drained to under 25 percent and certified, the battery must be physically disconnected, alarms must be disarmed, fluid systems must be sealed, and the vehicle must be loaded onto the ULD pallet in a single operation. We prepare every vehicle at our Bristol or Heathrow facility, photograph every panel for the AWB, and supply the dangerous-goods declaration (UN3171 for batteries, UN3166 for fuelled vehicles) as part of the booking.