What is air transportation?
Air transportation is one of the most common methods of domestic and international transportation, which enables fast transportation of goods through airways. Due to its advantages, this method of transportation has gained a lot of attention for transporting goods within and outside the country.
In this article, we will fully examine this transportation method, including its history, advantages and disadvantages, types of cargo transported by air, and fast and secure international air transportation.
History of Air Transportation:
The first air cargo flight took place in the United States on November 7, 1910. The flight, called “CARGO,” traveled between Columbus and Dayton, Ohio. Philip Ervin Parmalee, a pilot for the Wright Company, flew the plane about 105 kilometers (65 miles). The purpose of this flight was for advertising and to start a large store. The cargo of this plane contained a 200-pound package of silk. That same year, an interview with the Wright brothers was published in the newspaper, in which they announced that this flight had covered the distance between Columbus and Dayton in 66 minutes. However, the international record at that time belonged to a flight that was completed in 57 minutes. This record still stands in the history of air transportation.
The First air mail Flight
The first official airmail flight in the world took place on February 18, 1911, at a luxurious exhibition. This flight, which was in the form of air mail, was piloted by Henri Pequet. The goal of the flight was to provide all postal services and to produce advertisements for the exhibition, as well as to collect some money for charity. The responsibility for organizing the aviation exhibition was on Walter Wingham.
The first air mail service
It was launched on September 9, 1911 in Great Britain by the Postmaster General. This historic event took place during the celebration of King George V’s coronation. The air mail service successfully delivered around 36 packages to various destinations in less than 30 days, marking a significant milestone in the history of air transportation.
With the beginning of the 20th century, air transportation progressed rapidly at a very fast pace. Employers and industry owners at that time realized that airplanes were capable of transporting high-value and low-volume goods at a faster speed than sea and rail transportation.
The history of air transportation in Iran
The history of air transportation in Iran dates back to 1925, 22 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight in the world. The first Iranian airline agency began operating after the end of World War II in 1925. This agency successfully transported 11,000 passengers, which was a very positive development for our country at that time. Eight years later, the private airline company, Iran Air, began operating. Currently, Iranian airline companies offer necessary services in international air mail and transportation to all traders, merchants, manufacturing companies, knowledge-based companies, and others.
Advantages of air transportation
Air transportation has many advantages, some of the most important ones are:
The most significant advantage of air transportation compared to other methods of transportation is its high speed. For example, if you want to transport goods from China to Iran, air transportation takes much less time than other methods.
This method of transportation has a very high level of safety compared to other transportation methods.
International transportation tracking is very easy and the shipment can be monitored instantly through a tracking code.
Delivery scheduling in this method has the lowest rate of delay compared to other transportation methods.
This method of transportation is the best option for sending high-value goods.
In this method of transportation, the cargo does not move from the time of loading until it reaches its destination, which prevents damage to the cargo during transportation.
Disadvantages of air transportation:
Despite the numerous advantages of air transportation, this method of transportation also has some drawbacks, some of the most important of which include:
One of the most significant drawbacks of air transportation is its high cost compared to other transportation methods.
This method of transportation has limitations for transporting heavy and bulky cargo.
Weather and climate conditions can cause irreparable damage to the cargo.
Types of cargo in air transportation:
Various types of cargo can be sent through air transportation, each requiring specific considerations and rules. Here are some of the types of cargo sent via air transportation:
1- Air transportation of normal cargo:
Transportation of goods that do not require special conditions or restrictions and does not pose a risk to the aircraft falls into this category. Books and magazines, clothing, tools, documents, and more are some of the goods that fall into the category of normal cargo.
2- Air transportation of perishable cargo:
Goods that require special transportation conditions, and negligence of these conditions can cause them to spoil, fall into the category of perishable cargo. For the transportation of such goods, the aircraft must have special conditions, such as refrigeration units. Most agricultural products, dairy products, perishable drugs, and more fall into this category.
3- Air transportation of lightweight and voluminous cargo:
Cargo with a volume greater than its weight is referred to as voluminous and lightweight cargo. This group of cargos is one of the other types of cargo that are transported by air.
4- Air transportation of hazardous goods
Hazardous goods are another category of cargo that requires attention to packaging quantity and conditions for air transportation. Generally, dangerous goods for air transport are divided into 9 categories of explosives, flammable gases, flammable liquids, flammable solids, oxidizing substances, toxic substances, acids, radioactive materials, and miscellaneous materials such as batteries, etc.
5- Corpses and animals are other types of cargo that are transported and sent through air transportation.