Mercator’s export team recently arranged an air freight to South Africa, providing a fast and reliable solution for a time-sensitive shipment. Air freight to South Africa offers the quickest transit option between the UK to key South African airports such as Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
This particular air freight to South Africa was coordinated under CPT (carriage paid to) incoterms, meaning the exporter in the UK was responsible for the shipment from their door in the UK to Cape Town airport. As such, our team arranged collection from the shipper’s premises in the UK, export customs clearance, and air freight to South Africa.
Depending on the agreed incoterm, our team can handle the whole air freight process from door in the UK, even through to door in South Africa thanks to our founding membership of the freight forwarder network MarcoPoloLine. Our team regularly coordinates shipments in conjunction with our partner agents based in Durban and Cape Town.
Once the cargo is ready, we arrange delivery to the departure airport, most commonly London Heathrow, where the shipment is prepared for export. This includes:
- Export customs clearance
- Security screening in line with aviation regulations
- Airline booking and space allocation based on required transit times
Air freight to South Africa is significantly faster than sea freight, with transit times typically ranging from 1–5 days airport to airport, depending on airline routings and schedules. There are daily services (direct and indirect) leaving London Heathrow to the main airports in South Africa.
Upon arrival in South Africa, our trusted local partner agent can manage the following services if an incoterm such as DDP or DAP are agreed:
- Import customs clearance
- Payment of import duties and taxes
- Handling and release from the airport
- Final delivery to door in South Africa
From initial collection through to final delivery, Mercator provides a fully managed service for air freight to South Africa. Our team coordinates each stage of the shipment, including transport, documentation, airline booking and export customs clearance, ensuring a seamless and predictable process.
If you have a shipment requiring air freight to South Africa, our team will be happy to provide a tailored quotation to suit your requirements. To get in touch with our team you can call us on (+44) 02392 756 575, email sales@mercatorcargo.co.uk or complete the form below and we will be in touch.
