Deep Frozen air freight from United States to United Kingdom

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 the United States

The US is the largest importer in the world and a top destination for Dutch exporters. Schiphol offers daily direct cargo flights to New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), and Atlanta (ATL), with a flight time of about 9 hours. Due to the wide availability, air freight rates to the US are generally competitive.

US Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

US customs requires a correct Airway Bill, commercial invoice, and packing list for every shipment. Shipments over $800 require a formal customs entry (ISF declaration). Electronics, pharmaceuticals, and dual-use goods may require additional permits, such as an EAR export license or FDA registration of the manufacturer.

What you need to know

• Lithium batteries are subject to IATA DGR rules — always notify in advance
• Certain goods fall under EAR (Export Administration Regulations) and require a BIS license
• The US has no VAT but does charge customs duties — your buyer pays these upon import
• ISF 10+2 declaration is mandatory for sea freight; AMS (Advance Manifest System) applies for air freight

Aircargo.nl handles the complete export documentation towards the US and has established relationships with US customs agents at all major hubs.

Importing from the United Kingdom

Importing from the UK to the Netherlands is post-Brexit formally a customs clearance with all accompanying documents: commercial invoice, packing list, Certificate of Origin and any permits. For goods of British origin, a zero rate applies under the TCA agreement, provided documentation is correct.

Popular British products

• Pharmaceuticals and biotech products
• Aerospace components (UK is a major aircraft producer)
• Whisky and food products (with DEFRA documents)
• Fintech hardware and software

Aircargo.nl handles the complete post-Brexit clearance and ensures your goods arrive without customs surprises.

US as a crosstrade hub via Schiphol

Schiphol is one of the few European airports with a fully equipped customs bonded warehouse, allowing goods from the US to transit via AMS to Asia, the Middle East, or Africa without formal EU import procedures. This makes the US–Schiphol route particularly suitable as a crosstrade hub for multinationals organizing their European distribution through the Netherlands.

Aircargo.nl coordinates US crosstrades for clients in sectors such as pharma, aviation, and tech, managing the full transit — including handling, documentation, and onward carriage — from a single point.

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.