Airline

In international trade, an airline mainly refers to a carrier that provides air cargo or passenger services and is one of the core links in international logistics and supply chains. Foreign trade practitioners often use airlines to complete cross-border transportation of urgent, high-value, or perishable goods. Use scenarios include: booking space, issuing an air waybill (AWB), calculating chargeable weight, and handling cargo pickup at the destination airport. Notes: airlines usually only handle airport-to-airport transportation and do not include customs clearance and ground delivery; it is necessary to distinguish an airline from a freight forwarder, as the latter can provide door-to-door services and integrate the resources of multiple airlines; in addition, airlines impose strict restrictions on cargo dimensions, weight, and dangerous goods, and freight rates are affected by fuel surcharges, peak season surcharges, etc. Compared with a shipping line, an airline offers faster transit times but higher costs, making it suitable for small-volume, time-sensitive cargo. Foreign trade contracts should clearly specify the carrier's liability, compensation limits, and applicable conventions (such as the Montreal Convention).