Merchandise which is transported from one airport to another by an airline is called “air freight”. This operation is carried out under cover of an air waybill (L.T.A.), which acts as the transport document.

Pointe à Pitre Cargo Terminal

STAC Photo Library/Alexandre Paringaux

According to the mode of transport, there are three types of air freight:

 “all cargo” freight, transported by “cargo plane”, i.e., which is exclusively equipped to transport merchandise and affords high import volume ,

 “combination” freight, transported by “combination planes” or “mixed planes”, transporting both passengers and freight,

“surface route” freight, transported by other means (by lorry, for example).

To consider transport by surface route as air freight may seem surprising, but it can be used for part of the journey in order to allow grouping of merchandise at a large airport coming from several small airports, from where it would not be commercially feasible to have an aircraft come especially for freight.

Marseille Provence

STAC Photo Library/Alexandre Paringaux

Just as is the case for passenger terminals, the cargo terminal enables a break in the carriage of merchandise between land transportation and “air transport”, which can however, be carried out by plane or by lorry.

A cargo terminal can be single or multiple operation. “Single operation” means that handling in the warehouses is carried out by a sole operator. It can be private if the owner is a transporter; this is current for airlines having a certain level of cargo traffic and which therefore need specific facilities and equipment.

In addition, the terminal is centralized or de-centralized according to whether there is one or several unconnected import-export routes. In the case of a de-centralized terminal, the building is divided into a certain number of lots, each rented out to an operator (company, forwarding agent etc).

These operating methods have an impact on the yield of cargo stations; in fact, the existence of several operators or import-export routes leads to an increase in building surfaces for identical functions and thus a decrease in tonnage handled per m2. it is currently estimated that there is a loss of surface area of the order of 20% compared to a single operation.