Shipping Premium Liquor via Air Freight to UAE: Why You Need a Freight Forwarder Who Secures 20 Air Pallets Weekly
When shipping premium liquor via air freight to the UAE, you must work with a freight forwarder that secures 20 air pallets every week.
Mr. Li had 400 cases of Chivas Regal whiskey and 120 cases of Martell cognac to ship via air freight to the UAE. This liquor was for the Ramadan celebration at Atlantis The Palm in Dubai, and it couldn’t be delayed at all. If it missed the unpacking ceremony in five days, it wouldn’t just mean a lost business deal—it would be much more serious.
Before this, Mr. Li used a freight forwarder for small batches of cheaper liquor. Since the value was low, he could accept some risk of delay. But with this high-value shipment that had special meaning, he hesitated. Any damage or delay was absolutely not an option. The forwarder he chose had to be truly reliable. When Mr. Li suggested visiting their office, the person on the phone kept making excuses. Mr. Li quickly decided to look elsewhere.
It was clear that the forwarder Mr. Li first contacted was what we call "short on resources." To put it simply, they were a small outfit with just a few people, operating out of a basic setup. They had no real resources and rented everything they needed. They spent their days posting ads in various chat groups. After getting an order, they would scramble to find pallet space on the market—and they couldn’t guarantee anything.
I told Mr. Li that for high-value products shipped via air freight to the UAE, the key is reliability and no delays. Only a forwarder like us, with the capability to secure 20 pallets weekly from two major airlines, can give him that assurance.
This might sound like a simple statement, but it holds valuable meaning. For a freight forwarder to achieve this, two conditions must be met: first, strong financial resources, and second, a guaranteed volume of orders.
There are 60,000 freight forwarders in Shenzhen, and many of them have solid capabilities. But they don’t dare to secure so many pallets—simply because they don’t have enough orders! Mr. Li said he contacted several forwarders who all claimed to be direct agents with their own pallet space. But when he asked for a delivery time commitment, their replies were all similar:
"We only have two pallets per week, so your shipment might need to be split and sent in three batches."
"It might route through Bangkok, adding two extra days. If everything goes smoothly, we can probably guarantee a five-day delivery."
"Martell? Dubai customs are very strict with high-value liquor. Clearance will take at least two to three days."
I told Mr. Li that I know this industry inside out. Even the more "capable" specialists in air freight to UAE typically only have two or three pallets per week. We have ten times that volume—it’s not even a comparison.
Many factories shipping via air freight to UAE find forwarders within their own networks, adding middlemen. In the end, a lot of that cargo still ends up with us. We are the source—I handle his shipments directly.
I pulled up our system right there and showed Mr. Li. I explained that others don’t dare to take on such commitments because the cost of securing pallets is too high. Without enough cargo volume, the risk is just too great. Many so-called direct agents can barely fill two or three pallets in a short time, and they worry about airlines cutting space at the last minute. We have an Annual Thousand-Pallet Framework Agreement with the airlines. Even during peak seasons, our pallet space is unaffected. Last week alone, we moved 35 pallets. Many of our clients stick with us precisely because of this.
For Mr. Li’s premium liquor, I secured three PMC pallets for the next midday flight. Those 520 cases filled exactly three pallets. Three days later, the liquor arrived on time at the hotel’s underground warehouse, without any delay to the Ramadan celebration.