Refrigerated transport by air

Effectively transporting refrigerated products by air is a challenge. This is because of the temperature at the departure point, the location and the journey can vary significantly. For example, it may be 15 degrees Celsius in the Netherlands at the moment of transport, whereas the temperature in the cargo area will generally be around 5 degrees and the temperature at a destination like Dubai when leaving the aircraft can suddenly rise considerably. Especially when products are parked in the sun. The conditioning of your refrigerated transport must be prepared for this.

• Airlines’ Cold Chain solutions: Most airlines offer high quality cooling solutions with a corresponding price ticket. These solutions will result in your freight being chilled by the company. The value of the goods to be transported will determine whether or not this is a realistic solution for you where the chilled transport of your goods by air is concerned.
• Dry Ice: Dry Ice is the most common solution when goods need to be transported in a frozen condition. It’s not possible to keep your goods frozen during transport with gel packs or cooling elements. The main disadvantage of Dry Ice is that there is a limit in the amount of Dry Ice which can be taken on board an aircraft per flight.
• A combined solution of EPS boxes, gel packs and optional absorption materials. This is most commonly used to transport goods by air around the freezing point, or between 0-8 degrees Celsius. The advantages of this solution are that the goods will remain protected throughout the entire journey and it’s a very affordable answer too. However, it’s important for the goods to arrive at their final destination within a maximum of 24-48 hours. This solution offers a very effective and affordable method of chilled transport by air.

It’s important to determine where in the transport chain the goods are most at risk when products are sent by conditioned air transport. This could, for example, be upon arrival at an airport, or with your customer. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you would like some advice about the conditioned transport of your goods by air and any possible risk moments for your products. We would gladly look into how we can assist you with practical advice, specifically tailored to your company and your products.