International cargo process in 8 steps

1. Check restrictions

Not all cargo is equal. Some restrictions and prohibitions may apply for safety and other reasons. It's best to check these before going any further.

Important note for shipments originating in the United States: Due to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations, we are only able to accept air cargo shipments from TSA approved Freight Forwarders and those whom are both a member of IATA and have an account with Air New Zealand Cargo. This means we are unable to accept "excess baggage" as cargo from Air New Zealand passengers or other types of freight that are not channeled through an approved freight forwarder or could be designated as 'unknown shipper'.

Additionally, all live animal shipments must be routed through an approved pet shipping agency as we are unable to accept live animal shipments on an over-the-counter basis from individuals.

2. Select product and service

Determine which product and service is best going to suit based on the features which are important to you.

3. Make booking

For you to be assured your cargo will travel, you will need to book space on our aircraft in advance.

4. Prepare cargo and paperwork

You are responsible for the preparation of your cargo in a manner suited to air travel. Please view our container guideline. This means having all cargo:

  • Labelled with consignee address, piece count and AWB number (preferably bar coded)
  • Packaged appropriately for travel by air
  • Paperwork (AWB, declarations, certificates etc.) presented at the same time as the cargo is presented

5. Complete Air Waybill

The Air Waybill (AWB) is a document required to ship cargo internationally and is completed on behalf of the shipper usually by a Freight Forwarder, an Air New Zealand Cargo office, or an agent appointed by us for the purposes of:

  • Documentary evidence of the Contract of Carriage
  • Proof of receipt of the goods for shipment
  • Freight bill
  • Guide for handling, dispatching and delivering the consignment

Check out the steps to correctly complete the Air Waybill

Request access to our FWB and FHL generator

6. Drop cargo

Once your physical cargo and paperwork has been prepared, it's ready to take to the Air New Zealand Cargo acceptance location.

Please be aware that published cargo drop-off times will determine when your cargo can be accepted for carriage.

7. Track cargo

Monitor the progress of your cargo from collection to delivery via our online tracking function.

8. Collect cargo

The last part of the cargo journey is the collection at destination. How quickly you can retrieve it will be determined by the product and service it travelled under.