3 keys to choose a transport by land or by air

Transport is a service that offers to take cargo from point A to point B. Up to this point, there is no possible discussion. However, in order to identify what type of logistics service we need for a specific merchandise, we must take into account a series of basic factors:

Delivery time

If our goods require urgent delivery, air transport is ideal for medium or long distance journeys. If the urgent delivery is over a short to medium distance, the flexibility for loading and unloading in land transport would be more advisable.

The combination of both types of transport would also be really agile, whereas sea and rail transports are penalised by a longer delivery time.

Type of goods and dimensions

Although all materials can be transported by different logistics operators, there are specific cases in which the nature and characteristics of the goods determine the mode of shipment.

With different types of vehicles, road transport offers the most possibilities, both in terms of size and the characteristics of its vehicles: vans, lorries, special trailers, controlled temperature…

Air transport is conditioned by the type of service sought: a cargo plane could transport bulky goods, but the hold of a commercial aircraft would not be able to transport them. In any case, it is very interesting if perishable goods are involved.

Of course, sea and rail freight containers offer a higher capacity but, given the long transit time, it would have to be considered whether the transport of certain goods is feasible.

Price

It is difficult to compare equivalent transport in each of the options analysed. If we are talking about small or medium-sized goods, land transport, air transport, or even a combined service between the two, would be the most attractive option.

On the other hand, rail and air transport would be ideal for very bulky goods, in which size and weight do not affect as much as in the first options.

In addition to the three issues mentioned above, they should be seen in a global context. In terms of concrete examples, HTG Express Premium land transport allows us to obtain the agility of road transport of goods over long distances: it is not unusual to find loads of more than 2,400km with delicate goods between two European countries, which can be solved with a 40-hour transit time in the door-to-door service for loads of up to 1000-1200kg. Situations like this reduce the differences with respect to air transport.

In other respects, we cannot compete with the latter, and delivery anywhere in the world can only be achieved by air: premium air service, on board courier, charter… we also have alternatives for this.

Whatever your situation, we are confident that we can offer you a solution by land or air, or even a combination of both. We deliver peace of mind.