Air Freight to UAE: Falling for the Low-Price Trap, DL Logistics Buys Its Own Space for On-Time Delivery

Aziz needed to send 1,000 sets of electrocardiogram machines urgently via air freight to UAE. He came across a freight forwarder in a group chat offering an ultra-low "cabbage price" and promoting "24-hour express delivery." But behind that "cabbage price," they didn’t have their own space on flights. After taking the goods, they just piled them up and resold the space to scalpers, which ended up delaying the shipment by seven or eight days. They were only interested in one-time deals, not repeat orders.

At first, Aziz was suspicious: Why is the price so low? Don’t they make any profit? The other party said they handle large volumes, so they can offer prices 30% lower. They sounded very confident, and Aziz, tempted by the low price, quickly signed the contract. But after he paid and sent the goods to their warehouse, two days later, the goods were still sitting in the airport warehouse. The forwarder first said, "We’re coordinating the flight!" and later just told him, "The flight is delayed, wait for the next one!"

I explained to Aziz that these are typical excuses from companies using cabbage prices to attract customers. They already know how to play on clients’ weak spots. Anyone can boast in ads—they’ll say whatever you want to hear, especially focusing on "cabbage price" and "express delivery."

For air freight to UAE, low prices are great—everyone likes saving money. If you search online, everyone claims to have the lowest prices, with no bottom in sight. But the key is to find a reliable freight forwarder. The most important thing is whether they can keep their promises. Only when they’re reliable should you consider the price.

Aziz was worried and said, "There are so many freight forwarders offering air freight to UAE, all saying they’re good and big companies. How can I tell if they’re reliable?"

I told Aziz, just focus on one thing: whether the forwarder has their own space bought directly from the airlines. In Shenzhen, there are 60,000 freight forwarders, and over a thousand handle air freight to UAE. Look at their ads—everyone says they’re "experienced forwarders with years in the business" or "have space and advantages on UAE routes." But in reality, 90% of them are small operations with just a few to a dozen people. The boss might have worked in a previous company for years, gained some clients, and then started their own business with a small team. However, to get space from airlines, you need real money—and not just a little. Most can’t afford it. So, they advertise every day, and when they get orders, they look for space released by big players in the market, trying to make it work with timing gaps.

Many so-called "first-hand operators" for air freight to UAE are just forwarders who rent 2 or 3 spaces per week. But at DL, we’ve bought 20 spaces per week from two major airlines—that’s 10 times the capacity of most competitors. This isn’t something you can do with a small budget. Remember, these spaces have to be paid for even if there’s no cargo. It’s not about whether they dare to buy, but about real capability. Of course, there are forwarders with similar scale to us, but why don’t they buy so many spaces? Besides capability, they don’t have enough orders to support that many spaces.

Always ask to visit the freight forwarder’s office. It doesn’t matter if you can actually go—just see how they react. If they hesitate or make excuses, they’re probably hiding something, so it’s better to skip them. If they agree right away, you can feel more at ease.

I told Aziz, for our dedicated air freight to UAE line, we have two routes for double insurance. First, direct flights from Guangzhou/Shenzhen to UAE, available every weekday from Monday to Friday. Second, flights from Guangzhou/Shenzhen via Beijing to UAE, which are even more frequent, running every day from Monday to Sunday. These dual routes ensure timeliness and stability for air freight to UAE. We have clients in a real hurry—for example, one had 30 tons of goods and contacted me in the morning, demanding delivery to UAE in 3 days without any delay. How could ordinary forwarders lock in so much space in one day? We can, because we own the space. We decide which goods get loaded first—urgent shipments go upfront, so we can deliver to UAE in 3 days.

Aziz took the time to learn about our company, and once he felt confident, we discussed the details of his shipment. The key was that we deliver on our promises, which gave Aziz peace of mind. His second batch of 2,000 pacemakers arrived smoothly at his designated warehouse in UAE within 7 days.

DL Logistics: One of the Top 5 for Air Freight to Middle EastDL Logistics buys 20 pallet spaces weekly from two major airlines. We get priority clearance at UAE airports, allowing for queue-jumping pickup at the warehouse. Our local logistics team has someone answering calls even at 2 AM, ensuring deliveries made in the morning arrive by noon, and those sent at noon arrive in the afternoon. We truly live up to being one of the Top 5.

DL Air Freight to Middle East: Customers who use our service praise its smoothness.

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