An air freight carrier is an airline which is dedicated to the transportation of cargo and in some cases they may be a division or subsidiary of a larger passenger airline service such as BA, United Airlines etc.

The major companies known for their air freight carrier services are Federal Express or as they are now more commonly known Fed-Ex who commenced trading in 1973 and now have annual revenues of $21.4 billion. They employ over 140,000 staff worldwide and have access to more than 375 airports across the globe. Their main aircraft that they use in order to transport air freight are Airbuses, ATRs and Boeings (they have a total of 674 aircraft worldwide).

Then there is UPS who were founded in the US in 1907 and has now grown to a $42.6 billion corporation and since 1982 when UPS Air Cargo was set up to provide a way for customers to move their freight shipments. Although their all points international air hub is located in Louisville, Kentucky they do have other regional hubs located in strategic cities around the US and they operate an international service through their air hubs in Miami, Hamilton, Cologne, Taipei and the Philippines. Because of this they are able to manage the flow of goods to more than 200 countries and territories around the world.

Often these companies will use new or recently built aircraft in order to carry the freight, whilst some companies still prefer to use the old stables such as the Boeing 707, Boeing 727 and Douglas DC-8 to name but a few. There are even some old Douglas DC-3’s (now more than 60 years old) still being used in order to not just carry cargo but passengers as well around the world.