Urgent freight: parcels and pallets
Is a critical part missing from production? Is a maintenance technician waiting for essential equipment? Can a customer deadline no longer be postponed?
In these situations, every hour counts for manufacturers. Choosing the right regional airport can save valuable time. It can avoid unnecessary road transport to a distant national airport. It can also reduce delays when cargo passes through a freight terminal.
Air Time Critical® provides tailored urgent air freight solutions for critical industrial requirements. These include On Board Courier, international express air freight and dedicated cargo aircraft.
For high-stakes emergencies in Europe and surrounding regions, a dedicated aircraft offers exceptional flexibility and speed. This solution, also known as an air charter, operates specifically for the shipment. It is particularly effective for urgent boxes, crates, pallets or industrial containers.
Choosing the right local airport
For an urgent shipment, distance is not the only factor when selecting the departure airport.
Runway length, opening hours, handling capabilities, customs procedures and available cargo-loading equipment all matter. Choosing the wrong airport can add several hours to the shipment.
Our role is straightforward. We use our operational experience and local knowledge to identify the aircraft and airport combination that saves the most time. At the same time, we aim to maximise shipment reliability.
Service level above 94% – Stay in control
Unlike air charter brokers operating remotely and focusing mainly on the apparent price, Air Time Critical® has detailed knowledge of local airports and their actual operational capabilities.
This provides a real advantage for time-critical shipments. Our service level exceeded 94% across our missions in 2024 and 2025. In other words, 94% of our shipments were delivered before the deadline stated in our quotation.
With our air charter service, you regain control of the delivery schedule, down to the hour. This level of reliability is particularly valuable for critical industrial shipments.
Airports in South-East France
| Airport | Industrial departments served | Recommended use | Points to consider |
| Lyon-Saint Exupéry (LYS) | Rhône (69), Ain (01), Isère (38), Loire (42), Savoie (73) | Parcels and pallets (subject to approval) | Main runway: 4,000 m. Handling available from 09 h – 17 h, subject to prior request and acceptance. |
| Grenoble Alpes Isère (GNB) | Isère (38), Savoie (73) | Parcels and pallets | Relevant option for Grenoble, Crolles, Saint-Ismier and the Alpine industrial area. Runway: 3,050 m. Three locally based aircraft provide maximum responsiveness for parcels, boxes and industrial containers. Open 24/7. |
| Aerodrome
Aix-les-Milles Airfield (QXB) |
Bouches-du-Rhône (13) | Parcels only | Convenient option for Aix-en-Provence and Rousset. Limited capacity: parcels only, no heavy freight. Prior airport approval required. Runway: 1,504 m. Daytime operations only. |
| Marseille Provence (MRS) | Bouches-du-Rhône (13), Vaucluse (84), Var (83), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) | Parcels and freight | Major airport for Provence. Airport processing and handling must be checked for each shipment. For pallets above 300 kg, breaking down the pallet is recommended. Cargo-terminal processing requires more than two hours. Main runway: 3,500 m. Handling hours: 09:00–12:00 and 14:00–17:00. |
Rousset, Grenoble and Crolles
From Rousset, Aix-les-Milles can be considered for a small urgent parcel. Marseille Provence offers greater capacity for freight, including pallets and crates. However, processing takes longer than at a local airfield.
From Grenoble, Crolles or Saint-Ismier, Grenoble Alpes Isère can provide excellent responsiveness. Lyon-Saint Exupéry remains a strong alternative for priority air freight.
When should you charter an aircraft?
Air charter is useful when the deadline is extremely tight and the stakes are high. Typical situations include production stoppages, late-delivery penalties, urgent corrective maintenance or significant financial losses for every hour of delay. It is ideal for shipments outside standard operating hours or deliveries far from major air hubs. A dedicated aircraft can fly directly from one regional airport to another. Air charter operates 24/7 and does not depend on commercial flight schedules or conventional airline routes. The aircraft and crew are chartered specifically for the customer. Departure times and airports can therefore be selected according to the mission. This helps optimise the complete door-to-door delivery time. This solution is particularly effective over distances of approximately 800 to 2,500 km. Below this range, dedicated road transport is often faster. Beyond it, Next Flight Out (NFO) usually becomes a more efficient option.
Air charter is particularly effective for extremely urgent shipments within Europe and Central Europe, as well as to Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. For Asia, China, Mexico or the United States, ATC® provides other time-critical solutions, including On Board Courier (OBC), Next Flight Out (NFO) and priority air freight.
What information is needed before chartering a cargo aircraft?
Before every air charter mission, several operational factors must be checked. This confirms that the flight is feasible and that the required delivery deadline can be met.
To save time, prepare the following information before contacting ATC®:
- Shipment weight and dimensions, stackable or non-stackable, whether pallets can be broken down (for industrial containers, whether each one has a lid or protective plastic film).
- Nature of the goods (specify if DGR or fragile).
- Exact cargo ready time
- Collection address, contacts, cargo references and site opening hours
- Delivery address and opening hours
- Required delivery deadline
- For international shipments: commercial invoice, packing list, export documents and other relevant customs documentation.
Industrial emergency?
Air Time Critical® supports manufacturers when conventional transport solutions can no longer meet the required deadline. This includes production stoppages, supplier delays, urgently needed maintenance parts and critical customer deliveries. Our teams are available 24/7. We assess the situation, compare the available options and organise an urgent air freight solution suited to the operational requirement.
Contact us to check the feasibility of an air charter, On Board Courier or priority air freight solution from South-East France.
📞 +32 2 888 84 16 (EN/FR)
The information contained in this article may change without prior notice. For up-to-date information, please consult our Air Time Critical® team.
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