News / Why shippers pick air or ocean – and it's not always on price

09/11/2023

Shippers have a particular set of criteria which determines whether to use sea or air; and price is not the key driver usually assumed.

According to Niall van de Wouw, head of airfreight for Xeneta, the price ratio between sea and air is less crucial than other concerns.

“Airfreight was around 10 times more expensive than sea freight in 2019, but it went to 21 times the price. That won’t impact the need shippers have for airfreight. It will impact budgets, but ...

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Pichuiyer Balasubramanian
November 09, 2023 at 2:04 pm
This article almost nails an important point – why would anyone chose air which is more expensive and not that eco friendly? So, only if ocean messes things up, air gets a chance – not a positive stroke at all for air freight.

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Matthew Gore
November 09, 2023 at 5:09 pm
Interested in readers’ thoughts on combined air-sea services, e.g. Asia to Europe via Middle East – best of both worlds, worst of both worlds or something else?

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