Freight forwarder Mercator’s export team were recently instructed to arrange air freight to Mexico from the UK of UK manufactured engineering equipment.
Due to the urgent nature of the shipment, the shipper in the UK agreed with their customer to arrange via air freight to Mexico. Whereas there are direct flight options from the UK to Mexico on a daily basis, as the shipper in the UK was based nearest to Manchester airport, the best routing was to fly via Cancun, and then on to Mexico City. This indirect schedule took 3 days. Comparing this with sea freight, which takes approximately 21 days port to port, adding on a few days either side for full loads, and up to 5 days for less than container loads (LCL), the customer much preferred to utilise air freight.
In addition to arranging the collection of the goods and delivery in to Manchester airport for air freight to Mexico City, our export team also handled the export customs clearance in the UK and obtaining a certificate of origin for the goods. Once the shipment arrived at the destination, the agent in Mexico took over control on behalf of the importer in Mexico.
Customs in Mexico can be complex, and there are particular elements to be aware of, however, in conjunction with our partner agent in Mexico City, we ensured that the paperwork was all present, marks on the crates were as required, and everything was in order before flying. This preparation can prevent issues at destination, which is especially sensitive in countries with strict rules. Team that with urgent air freight and high costs of storage at airports, and it can quickly spiral out of control.
It is so important to ensure that when dealing with shipping to Mexico, that you are using a reputable freight forwarder who has strong connections with an agent in Mexico, which we are fortunate to have thanks to our founding membership of MarcoPoloLine. If you are shipping via sea freight, you may wish to negotiate extra free time with the carrier when the shipment arrives in Mexico, to allow plenty of time to clear and move the shipment off quay.
Air freight to Mexico is not a usual route for us, but we have the connections and knowledge to ensure a smooth operation. If you have a shipment for Mexico, get in touch with our team for a quote. In conjunction with our partners in Mexico City, we can offer all incoterms up to DAP, and in some cases DDP. You can get in touch with our team by calling (+44) 02392 756 575, emailing sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or completing the form below and we will be in touch.
