Shipping Air Freight to the Middle East: Small Freight Forwarders Have to Scramble for Space, DL Delivers to Dubai in 72 Hours
Mr. Yue needed to ship oil catalysts via air freight to the Middle East. He compared several seemingly large freight forwarders on various platforms, but the quotes varied so much that he wasn’t sure what to do.
I explained to Mr. Yue that many people think all freight forwarders offer the same service for air freight to the Middle East, so they just look for the lowest price—finding the cheapest quote no one else can match. That’s not the right approach. In reality, freight forwarders vary widely in capability and service standards. Small forwarders can’t secure space directly with airlines and have to find it on the market. When airlines face overbooking or weather issues, these shipments are the first to be bumped. Some even intentionally lowball quotes, then hit you with extra charges later—citing fuel surcharge adjustments, customs inspections, and so on—once the goods are already in transit.
Overall, there are reasons why quotes for air freight to the Middle East differ so much:
1. Space and Channels Differ
There are many forwarders, but most are small operators who get space from large consolidators—often through multiple layers of reselling. Large forwarders like us secure space directly with airlines. For example, we block-book 20 pallet positions weekly across two major airlines, making our pricing and transit times top-tier.
2. Cargo Type Matters
Goods are generally categorized as general cargo, batteries/magnetics, oils, etc. For air freight to the Middle East, general cargo has lower packaging and transport requirements, so costs are naturally lower. DG (dangerous goods) cargo has special packaging needs and often requires cargo planes, leading to higher quotes.
3. Destination Clearance and Delivery Costs Vary
Many small forwarders don’t have their own clearance and delivery teams at the destination. They outsource to large forwarders like us after getting orders, which increases costs. For customers shipping air freight to the Middle East, timeliness is key. Layers of outsourcing mean slow communication, delayed updates, and no timely handling if goods are held or inspected—making reliable transit times hard to guarantee. We have our own clearance and delivery team with over 20 years of experience. Our large volume helps keep costs low, which is why many small forwarders come to us for support.
On Transit Times:
We work closely with customs. While standard forwarders may wait 2–3 days in clearance queues, we can review documents, pay fees, and release goods in just 2 hours. For urgent shipments, we offer a special 72-hour channel to Dubai.
- Day 1: We arrange dedicated transport to our consolidation warehouse, lock in flight space, and handle all formalities.
- Day 2: Afternoon flight departure.
- Day 3: Morning arrival at the destination airport. We start unpacking and inspection immediately, clear customs by noon, and move goods to our overseas warehouse via dedicated trucks. Delivery begins in the afternoon. The UAE is less than half the size of Guangdong—shipments can reach their destination warehouse by evening.
This seamless process isn’t something every forwarder can offer—it’s the result of years of resource and experience building. So when shipping air freight to the Middle East, it’s important to choose a reliable, large forwarder like us.
DL Logistics, one of the top five air freight providers to the Middle East:
- Blocks 20 pallet positions weekly across two major airlines.
- Has priority clearance channels at UAE airports and priority pickup at warehouses.
- Local logistics support available 24/7—someone answers the phone even at 2 AM.
- Morning deliveries arrive by noon; noon deliveries arrive by afternoon.
A true top-five forwarder.
DL Air Freight to the Middle East—try it and experience the smooth service everyone talks about.