What Happens After Your Air Cargo Lands: Import Handling and Customs Clearance

For many importers, the most frustrating part of an air shipment comes after the flight has landed. The tracking says "arrived", yet the trucker is told the cargo cannot be collected. This guide explains what happens between touchdown and delivery, why the steps take time, and what you as the consignee can do to shorten the wait.

The import sequence at a glance

1. Aircraft arrives (ARR). The flight is on the ground.
2. ULDs are unloaded and towed from the aircraft to the cargo terminal.
3. Breakdown. Warehouse staff open the pallets and containers, separate shipments, and count and inspect pieces.
4. Received from flight (RCF). Pieces are checked into the warehouse system against the manifest.
5. Notification (NFD). The consignee or the agent named on the AWB is told the cargo is in.
6. Documents released (AWD). The AWB copy and accompanying documents pass to the consignee's agent or broker.
7. Customs declaration lodged by the broker or forwarder.
8. Customs decision: release, documentary query or physical inspection.
9. Duties and taxes paid, or secured under a guarantee or deferment arrangement.
10. Customs release (CCD where the carrier reports it).
11. Collection. The trucker presents a release and pays any outstanding handling or storage charges.
12. Delivered (DLV). The warehouse records the handover; this is the airline's proof of delivery.

The status codes in this list are explained in air cargo status codes explained. The order of steps 6 to 9 varies: in many countries, brokers can lodge a declaration before the aircraft lands, using the electronic data the airline has already sent.

Why "arrived" is not "available to collect"

Take Qatar Airways Cargo AWB 157-38820412 arriving in ATH from DOH. The tracking shows ARR at 06:10. At that moment the shipment is still inside a container, possibly underneath other freight, on an aircraft stand. Unloading, transport to the terminal and breakdown all come next. A widebody freighter may carry dozens of ULDs, and the warehouse works through them in an order set by priorities such as perishables, dangerous goods and express products, plus its own staffing.

Only when RCF appears is the cargo recorded in the warehouse. Even then it is under customs control in most countries, held in a bonded or temporary storage facility until release. A trucker sent out on the strength of the ARR event alone is likely to wait or come back empty.

Documents the broker usually needs

Requirements differ by country and by commodity, but most import declarations draw on the same core documents:

• Commercial invoice: seller and buyer, a clear description of each item, quantities, unit and total values, currency, and the Incoterm used. A pro forma invoice is accepted in some situations, for example for samples or goods not sold.
• Packing list: what is in each piece, with weights and dimensions, so the declaration can be matched to the cargo.
• Air waybill: the master AWB, and the house AWB if the goods move on a consolidation. See master AWB vs house AWB for why both matter at destination.
• Certificate of origin where preferential duty rates are claimed under a trade agreement, or where origin must be proven for other reasons.
• Licences, permits or certificates for controlled goods: for example health certificates for food, phytosanitary certificates for plants, or permits for dual-use items, depending on the importing country's rules.

The Incoterm also decides who arranges and pays for import clearance, which affects who must give the broker instructions. Our guide to Incoterms for air freight covers this.

Common reasons for customs holds

Invoice details

Descriptions such as "spare parts", "samples" or "gifts" do not let customs identify the goods. Missing values, a currency without a total, or prices that do not add up all trigger queries. The fix is a complete invoice from the seller, which can take a day if they are in another time zone.

Tariff classification

Every item must be classified under a tariff code based on the Harmonized System. If the description does not support the code declared, or the goods could fall under more than one heading, customs may ask for technical data sheets, photos or a sample.

Valuation

Customs may question a declared value that looks low for the goods, or ask whether freight, insurance, royalties or other costs should be added. Expect to provide purchase orders, payment proof or contracts.

Restricted or controlled goods

Food, medicines, chemicals, batteries, electronics with encryption functions, and plant or animal products may need approval from other government agencies, not only customs. Each agency can hold the shipment until its own check is done.

Risk-based inspection

Some shipments are selected for a documentary check or a physical examination for reasons that are not disclosed. A physical exam adds time for moving the cargo, opening it and repacking it, and may carry extra handling charges.

Airline status versus customs status

The airline's tracking reports what the airline and its handler know: arrival, check-in, notification and handover. Customs runs its own system, and the result of a declaration goes to the broker and the warehouse, not always to the airline's public tracking. That is why many shipments never show CCD, and why a shipment can show NFD for days while customs waits for a document. If the airline tracking has stopped at NFD or AWD, the next update usually comes from your broker, not from the carrier. The troubleshooting page covers how to tell a customs wait from a handling problem.

Storage charges and free time

Import warehouses typically allow a period of free storage after arrival, then charge per day, often calculated per kilogram with a minimum. The length of the free period, the rates and whether weekends count all vary by airport and operator, and special cargo such as cool chain, valuables or dangerous goods usually costs more. Charges must be paid before the cargo is released, so a three-day customs query can turn into an unplanned bill. Ask your broker or the warehouse for the tariff in advance if you expect a delay.

What the consignee can do to speed things up

• Appoint the broker before shipping, and make sure their details, or yours, are correct on the AWB so the notification reaches the right person.
• Get the documents to the broker before the flight lands. A scanned invoice and packing list sent at booking allow pre-lodgement where it is permitted.
• Check the invoice yourself. Clear descriptions, materials, intended use, values and the Incoterm prevent most queries.
• Know your tariff codes for repeat products and share them with the broker.
• Arrange payment of duties early, through a deferment account or prompt transfer, so release is not delayed by finance approval.
• Book the trucker against RCF and release, not against ARR.
• Answer queries the same day. Most clearance delays are measured in the time it takes to reply.

Following the import on AWBTracking.net

Enter your AWB in the free tracking lookup to see when the cargo has arrived, been received into the warehouse and been notified. Use those events to time your broker and trucker, and look up any unfamiliar terms in the status glossary.