Deep Frozen air freight from Israel to United States

Deep frozen by air freight: maintaining quality over long distances

At first glance, deep frozen products may not seem like a logical choice for air freight — sea freight in refrigerated containers is much cheaper after all. But for certain deep frozen products, air freight is the right choice due to quality, freshness, or urgency reasons.

When deep frozen by plane?

• High-quality seafood: deep frozen lobster, scallops, tuna, and other premium seafood for the restaurant sector — where quality deteriorates too much during prolonged sea freight transport
• Pharmaceutical deep frozen products: vaccines, biologicals, and certain blood products require -20°C or lower and cannot be transported by ship
• Seasonal urgency: if a specific deep frozen product must be urgently available — e.g., for a major buyer or a retail chain that missed stock
• Small, high-value batches: where the value per kg justifies the higher air freight rates

Aircargo.nl is fully equipped for deep frozen transport: from dry ice calculation to veterinary notifications and NVWA clearance.

Exporting to Israel

Israel is one of the most advanced technology economies in the world and a key market for Dutch machine parts, medical technology, and agri-tech. Schiphol operates multiple direct cargo flights per week to Tel Aviv (TLV), ensuring most shipments are cargo-to-cargo within 5–7 hours.

Customs & regulations

Israeli customs (Israel Tax Authority) use the Sha'ar Olami system for digital declarations. For most industrial goods, a commercial invoice, packing list, and— for goods covered under the EU-Israel Association Agreement — a EUR.1 or invoice declaration for preferential tariff treatment are sufficient. Separate registration requirements apply for medical, telecom, and cosmetic products through the Ministry of Health or the Standards Institution of Israel (SII).

Practical tips

• Request a EUR.1 or exporter’s declaration in time for preferential clearance — this can significantly reduce import duties
• Be mindful of Shabbat (Friday evening through Saturday) and Jewish holidays when processing is halted
• Dual-use goods require export licenses from the Netherlands and an end-user statement

Aircargo.nl works with dedicated agents at Ben Gurion and manages the full documentation chain — including preferential certificates and end-user declarations — for smooth handling.

Importing from the United States

Imports from the US often involve high-value goods: medical equipment, semiconductors, aerospace parts, pharmaceuticals, and specialized machinery. The approximately 9-hour flight time makes air freight the logical choice for time-sensitive or valuable shipments.

Customs on imports from the US

The US and EU do not have a free trade agreement, so standard EU import duties apply. Additional MDR/IVDR requirements apply for pharmaceuticals and medical devices when importing into the EU. Aerospace parts fall under EASA regulations and require specific certificates (EASA Form 1 or FAA 8130-3).

Frequently requested goods from the US

• Medical and surgical equipment
• Semiconductors and chipsets
• Aerospace parts (AOG)
• Pharmaceuticals and biotech products
• Machinery and industrial tools

Aircargo.nl manages daily import shipments from the US — including customs clearance, any FDA documentation, and delivery throughout the Netherlands.

Israel as a crosstrade destination

Schiphol serves as a major European hub for crosstrades with Tel Aviv as the final destination. Many American and European tech and defense suppliers route high-value shipments via AMS to TLV, as the Dutch customs regime is predictable and efficient for transit.

Aircargo.nl has permanent agents in Tel Aviv and can coordinate routing via El Al, KLM Cargo, or Cargolux as well as Israeli customs clearance — without the shipment having to touch Dutch soil.

Deep frozen air freight considerations

Uninterrupted frozen cold chain

Deep frozen products must be kept at a minimum of -18°C throughout the entire transport. This requires dry ice (carbon dioxide, UN1845 — DGR-classified), certified freezing containers (unit load devices), or a combination of both. Aircargo.nl arranges the correct cooling based on flight duration and product.

Dry ice — DGR consideration

Dry ice is a dangerous good (UN1845, class 9) and must be documented on the AWB and Shipper’s Declaration. The amount of dry ice per shipment is limited by airline regulations. Aircargo.nl always calculates the required amount of dry ice based on flight time plus buffer hours and documents this correctly.

Health certificates

Deep frozen products of animal origin (meat, fish, shellfish) require a veterinary health certificate upon import into the EU and are inspected at designated border inspection posts (BIPs). Aircargo.nl pre-notifies the shipment to the NVWA for smooth clearance.