Air freight operations — trained specialists, 24/7 coverage.
AWB drafting, Cargo iQ milestone management, airline acceptance and consolidation handling for air freight forwarders.
Overview
Air freight moves fast and its operations engine has to keep pace. Operanta's air ops desk brings trained air freight specialists to your operations, working inside your TMS on MAWB / HAWB drafting, Cargo iQ milestone management, airline acceptance coordination, consolidation manifest preparation and interline waybill workflows.
Why the air ops desk works
Air freight is deadline-critical. A dedicated 24/7 air ops desk absorbs the shift-work burden your local team cannot sustain, while bringing IATA-DGR-aware, TACT-aware specialists to every shipment.
- Master and House Air Waybill drafting
- Cargo iQ milestone tracking (RCS, DEP, ARR, RCF, NFD, DLV)
- Airline acceptance-desk coordination and re-book handling
- Consolidation manifest preparation and split-shipment handling
- Interline and trans-shipment waybill workflows
- 24/7 follow-the-sun coverage
Air ops scope
Documentation
- MAWB and HAWB drafting and amendments
- Cargo manifest preparation and pre-alert bundling
- IATA compliance flags and DG cross-checks
- Interline waybill and trans-shipment paperwork
- Airline-specific format normalisation
Execution
- Cargo iQ milestone updates in your TMS
- Airline acceptance-desk coordination
- Consolidation build-up and break-bulk coordination
- Charter and part-charter documentation support
- Trans-shipment leg tracking
Exception
- Rebooking on flight cancellations / delays
- Terminal hold and customs hold triage
- Damage / shortage claim first response
- PoD capture and file closure
- Trend reporting on reject / delay causes
How we onboard this desk
Discovery
30-minute call to scope volume, TMS, SOPs and offshore-able tasks.
Workflow audit
We document your as-is process and highlight high-leverage offshore work.
SOP build
Co-authored SOPs, screen recordings, quality gates and QC framework.
Pilot (30 days)
Single specialist runs a controlled pilot on a sub-set of work.
Scale
Phased ramp to full team strength with named team lead.
Monthly review
Scorecard, optimisation opportunities and capacity planning.
Industries we serve with Air Freight Operations Support
- International freight forwarders (Tier 1 and SME)
- Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers (NVOCCs)
- Customs brokers and trade compliance practices
- 3PL, contract logistics and warehousing operators
- Digital freight platforms and forwarders
Frequently asked questions
Do you handle DG shipments?
Yes — our air ops desk works alongside our dedicated DG desk on IATA-DGR compliant paperwork. All DG shipments are dual-reviewed.
Which airlines and neutral platforms do you work with?
All major airline systems (Cargospot, Skychain, Champ, Cathay, Emirates SkyCentral etc.) and neutral platforms (WebCargo, Cargo.one, cargo iQ).
Can you handle charter operations?
Yes — charter and part-charter documentation, load planning coordination and post-flight reconciliation are supported.
What is the typical air ops team size?
Ranges from 3 specialists for a smaller regional forwarder to 20+ for a global consolidator. Typical mid-market is 5–10 seats.
What is the peak-season plan?
Elastic scale-up in 14–21 days per additional seat. Most clients pre-plan a 25% peak buffer.
Air freight operations — always on.
Book a discovery call. We will scope your air ops workflow and propose a 60-day plan.