Specialist air
Express Air Freight.
When a line has stopped or an aircraft is grounded: next-flight-out, hand-carry and on-board courier services booked within the hour.
Express air freight exists for the moments when cost stops being the deciding factor. A production line down, an aircraft on the ground, a surgical instrument needed in theatre, an exhibition opening in the morning — in each case the freight cost is trivial beside the cost of the delay. We book these movements on the first available flight rather than the cheapest, clear them ahead of arrival and hand them to a waiting courier at the other end.
For the most critical consignments an on-board courier travels with the cargo as accompanied baggage, which removes cargo handling from the equation entirely and is frequently the fastest legal way to move a small item between two cities. Where no scheduled option works, we quote a dedicated charter.
Express air freight guide rates
Express services are priced on live availability and change with flight loads.
| Next flight out, Europe, per shipment | From £395 |
| Next flight out, intercontinental, per kg | From £9.50 per kg |
| On-board courier, Europe | From £1,450 per trip |
| On-board courier, intercontinental | From £2,950 per trip |
| AOG handling and priority clearance | From £180 per shipment |
| Dedicated air charter | Quoted per project |
These are indicative rates. Contact us for precise rates.
How the booking process works
Every express air freight booking with NLX Logistics follows the same simple sequence, and you keep the same reference number and the same contact from the first email to final delivery. You send us the details, we send you a written quotation, and once you are happy we confirm space and issue a booking pack with everything you need to prepare.
We never ask for paperwork you do not need, and we never spring charges on you at destination without warning. If a cost is likely to arise at the other end — terminal handling, customs examination, quarantine inspection, storage after free time expires — we tell you about it in the quotation so you can budget for it rather than discover it later.
- Send us the details and we reply with a written price, usually within the hour
- Confirm the booking and we reserve space on the next suitable departure
- We arrange UK collection or you deliver to the port, terminal or warehouse
- We lodge the UK export declaration and issue the transport document
- You receive sailing or flight confirmation, tracking and arrival notification
- Our destination agent handles import formalities and onward delivery if instructed
Documents and information we will ask for
Good paperwork is what keeps freight moving, so we front-load it. For commercial cargo we need a commercial invoice and packing list, your EORI number, the commodity codes and the incoterms you have agreed with your buyer. For vehicles we need the V5C or bill of sale, photographic identification for the owner and the keys. For personal effects we need a detailed inventory and, where relevant, evidence of residence.
If anything is missing we will tell you exactly what to obtain and where to get it. We would far rather spend ten minutes on the phone before the cargo moves than deal with a detention charge at destination because a certificate was never applied for.
Insurance, liability and protecting your cargo
Standard carrier liability is limited by international convention and is calculated on the weight of the cargo rather than its value, which means an expensive, lightweight shipment is barely protected at all. We therefore recommend all-risks marine cargo insurance on the declared commercial or replacement value of every consignment, which we can arrange at the point of booking for a small percentage of the insured value.
Cover runs warehouse to warehouse, includes general average contribution, and is underwritten on Institute Cargo Clauses A for most cargo types. Claims are handled with a single point of contact, and we will help you assemble the survey report, photographs and commercial evidence a claim requires.
Why shippers stay with NLX Logistics
Transparent guide pricing before you commit, in-house customs clearance, UK-wide collection and a named freight specialist who answers the phone. Move more. Worry less.


