Air freight, China and Turkey to UAE

Air freight from China and Turkey to the UAE.

We route your shipment express or airfreight consolidation based on the chargeable weight, not on what earns us margin. Same cargo, same landed cost, clear math.

What we handle

Three modes, every service, one package.

Pick the mode that fits your shipment. We add customs, dangerous goods handling, and full door-to-door coordination on every booking.

SamVertex air freight service scope Diagram showing the two tiers of the air freight service. Top tier, pick one mode: express courier for urgent parcels under a hundred kilograms, airfreight consolidation for one hundred to five hundred kilograms, or charter and ULD bookings for lanes over five hundred kilograms. Bottom tier, included with every shipment: customs clearance, dangerous goods handling, and door to door coordination. PICK YOUR MODE EXPRESS DHL, FedEx, Aramex Under 100 kg 3 to 5 days, door to door CONSOLIDATION Scheduled lanes 100 to 500 kg 6 to 10 days, lower per kg CHARTER / ULD Pallet positions Over 500 kg Negotiated per lane EVERY SHIPMENT INCLUDES Customs clearance HS codes, duty, VAT. Same team as sea freight. Dangerous goods Lithium, cosmetics, aerosols. MSDS filed. Door to door Supplier pickup through FBA inbound or warehouse.
Who this is for

Built for sellers who cannot wait for a ship.

Fashion and apparel brands on fast cycles

Istanbul and Guangzhou origin, restocks every 2 to 4 weeks, small volumes. Air keeps your shelves fresh, sea ties up the cycle.

High-value electronics sellers

USD 15,000 to 40,000 shipments where sea freight ties up capital for 30 days. Air keeps cash flowing and insurance exposure shorter.

Amazon FBA UAE sellers

Fast-moving SKUs on tight inventory cycles. Stockouts cost more than the air premium. We inbound directly to FBA with the right labels and booking window.

Pricing

How air freight pricing works, starting with chargeable weight.

Airlines charge on the space your cargo occupies, not what it weighs.

Why airlines bill on chargeable weight Two identical boxes side by side, one holding dense cargo at 30 kg actual weight, the other holding light cargo at 30 kg actual weight. Both bill at 48 kg chargeable weight because they occupy the same cargo space on the plane. BOTH BILL AT 48 kg chargeable weight 30 kg actual dense cargo, e.g. machine parts 80 × 60 × 50 cm, 240,000 cm³ 30 kg actual light cargo, e.g. pillows, foam 80 × 60 × 50 cm, 240,000 cm³

Same box dimensions means same flight cost, regardless of what is inside. Chargeable weight is whichever is higher between your actual kilograms and your volumetric kilograms (length × width × height in cm, divided by 6000 for consolidation or 5000 for express).

Express courier rates under 100 kg usually land between USD 6 and 9 per kg, door to door with customs. Airfreight consolidation over 100 kg usually lands between USD 3 and 5 per kg. Charter and ULD pricing is negotiated per recurring lane, economical above roughly 500 kg per shipment.

Rates spike around Chinese New Year (late January into February) and pre-Christmas (October into November). Book 2 to 3 weeks ahead for these windows or expect premium pricing.

Calculate your chargeable weight

Enter your box dimensions and actual weight. We show you what you would pay on.

The break point

Where express stops winning and the math flips to consolidation.

Below roughly 65 kg, express courier beats consolidation on total landed cost once you include customs and ground handling. Above that, consolidation's per-kg rate pulls ahead, but the gap stays narrow up to about 150 kg where urgency, dangerous goods, and dimensions can still tip the decision either way.

Air freight cost per kg by shipment weight Line chart. Express courier cost per kg starts near nine dollars fifty at ten kilograms and flattens to about five dollars fifty above a hundred kilograms. Airfreight consolidation starts higher but drops steeply, crossing below express around sixty-five kilograms and reaching three dollars fifty per kg at three hundred kilograms. A shaded zone from eighty to one hundred fifty kilograms marks where both modes are close enough in cost that urgency, dangerous goods, and dimensions decide routing. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Shipment weight (kg) $3 $5 $7 $9 $11 crossover ~65 kg Decision zone 80 to 150 kg Express wins Consolidation wins Express courier Airfreight consolidation

Send us the pieces list and we calculate both modes and recommend. Mode selection should be based on your actual numbers, not on a default.

How it works

Three steps, one team, end to end.

How the air freight journey works Three scenes showing the shipment path. First scene: the Chinese supplier's warehouse with stacked cargo boxes ready for pickup. Second scene: SamVertex's weighing and cubing facility in Guangzhou where each box is measured and weighed to confirm chargeable weight. Third scene: the cargo flight arriving in the UAE, cleared through customs, delivered to the merchant's warehouse or Amazon FBA. 1 Your supplier ships to our Guangzhou facility 30.0 kg = 48 CW 2 We weigh and cube chargeable weight confirmed before booking 3 Fly, clear, deliver customs cleared in 24 to 48h, to your door

You place the order

Your supplier ships to our Guangzhou facility, or we arrange airport pickup from their city. Supplier handles domestic to our side.

We weigh and cube

Your goods arrive, we photograph, weigh, and measure every piece. Chargeable weight confirmed before we book, so no surprises on the invoice.

We book, fly, clear, deliver

Express or consolidation based on the math. UAE customs clears in 24 to 48 hours of arrival, onward to your warehouse or FBA inbound. One invoice, one timeline, one point of contact.

Transit times

Typical lanes, typical timelines.

Air freight transit times from origin cities to the UAE Schematic map showing five origin cities connected to the UAE by dashed flight arcs. Istanbul: two to four days express, five to seven days consolidation. Shanghai: three to five days express, six to nine days consolidation. Yiwu: three to six days express, seven to ten days consolidation. Hong Kong: three to four days express, five to eight days consolidation. Guangzhou and Shenzhen: three to five days express, six to eight days consolidation. UAE Istanbul TR Shanghai CN Yiwu CN Hong Kong CN Guangzhou, Shenzhen CN 2-4 d express 5-7 d consol 3-5 d express 6-9 d consol 3-6 d express 7-10 d consol 3-4 d express 5-8 d consol 3-5 d express 6-8 d consol Door to door, includes UAE customs clearance. Peak season adds 2 to 4 days.
Good to know

Common mistakes air freight shippers make.

  1. Calculating cost on actual weight

    The most common surprise. Light bulky cargo gets billed on volume. If your rate is USD 4 per kg and your 30 kg box volumes out at 48 kg, you pay USD 192 not USD 120. Volume the box first, always.

  2. Missing MSDS for batteries

    Lithium batteries without a proper MSDS get rejected at origin or held at UAE customs. What looks like a 3-day express shipment turns into a 10-day hold. Send us battery specs before the cargo is ready.

  3. Under-declaring invoice value

    UAE Customs cross-checks against supplier databases and industry norms. Getting caught means penalties that exceed the duty savings, plus future shipments flagged for inspection. Declare honestly, plan for the duty.

  4. Assuming express rates are all-in

    Carriers add fuel surcharges, remote area fees, DG fees, address correction fees. Always ask for the all-in rate, not the base rate. Our quotes are all-in by default.

FAQ

Questions we get.

Express courier or airfreight consolidation, how do I know which I need?

Below 80 kg, express almost always wins on total cost when you include customs and ground handling. Above 150 kg, consolidation wins because the per-kg rate drops. Between 80 and 150 kg, it depends on urgency and dimensions. Send us your pieces list and we calculate both and recommend.

What is chargeable weight, and how do I calculate it?

Chargeable weight is whichever is higher between your actual weight in kilograms and your volumetric weight. Volumetric weight equals length times width times height in cm, divided by 6000 for airfreight consolidation, or 5000 for express courier. You pay on the higher number. A 30 kg box measuring 80 by 60 by 50 cm charges as 40 kg on consolidation (240,000 cm³ divided by 6000) or 48 kg on express (divided by 5000).

How long does UAE customs clearance take on air freight?

Usually 24 to 48 hours after the cargo lands, faster if paperwork is clean. Longer holds happen when HS codes are wrong, invoice values look off, or DG paperwork is missing. We prepare clearance before the flight lands so we are not waiting on documents after arrival.

Can you ship lithium batteries by air?

Yes, with proper MSDS and DG declarations. Class 9 (batteries installed in or packed with equipment) is cleanest. Pure standalone batteries (UN3480) are harder to book and more expensive. Send us battery specs, quantity, and whether they ship standalone or inside a device, and we confirm.

Do you deliver directly to Amazon FBA UAE inbound?

Yes. We handle FBA-compliant labeling, FNSKU stickering, carton dimensions and weight within FBA limits, and inbound appointment booking. If you want us to inspect cartons first before FBA inbound, say so in the quote and we price that in.

What if my goods arrive damaged?

We photograph all cargo on arrival at our China facility (before flight) and again at UAE clearance. If damage happens in transit, the photos establish where. We help file the claim with the carrier, and if you took insurance, with the underwriter.

Do you handle Chinese export customs, or do I need a separate agent?

We handle Chinese export customs on most lanes out of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Yiwu. Some suppliers prefer to use their own export agent, which is fine, we coordinate handover. Tell us what your supplier expects and we adapt.

Is insurance included?

Not by default, and not every shipment needs it. Airfreight carrier liability is limited (roughly USD 20 per kg under standard Warsaw convention terms). For cargo over USD 15,000 declared value or for fragile and high-risk items, we recommend adding insurance. Costs roughly 0.2 to 0.4 percent of insured value.

What happens if my flight is cancelled or my cargo is bumped?

Bumps happen in peak season when carriers oversell. We track cargo status daily. If bumped, we rebook on the next available flight, usually same or next day on major lanes. If the shipment is urgent, we can upgrade to express or a different carrier at incremental cost.

Can I switch between air and sea between shipments?

Yes. Most of our sellers use both. Air for urgent restocks and launches, sea for planned inventory. Same team, same invoice structure, same customs handling. You pick per shipment, we do not lock you in.

Ready to ship fast?

Send us dimensions, weight, and ready date. Chargeable weight calculated, mode recommended, quote the same day.

+971 50 636 8857 [email protected] Ras Al Khor Industrial Area 2, Dubai
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