When freight can't wait, Shippers First arranges urgent air cargo across Canada and internationally — with the speed, documentation, and customs expertise to get it there.
A production line shut down waiting for a critical part. A medical device needed across the country by morning. A missed ocean container that has to be air-freighted to meet a delivery deadline. These are the situations Shippers First is built to handle. Our team arranges emergency air cargo across Canada and internationally — with same-day booking, full customs documentation, and real-time status updates from the moment your call is made.
Not every urgent shipment needs the absolute fastest option — but when it does, we have it. Shippers First offers three levels of expedited air freight depending on your timeline and budget.
Your cargo is booked on the earliest departing commercial or cargo flight from the origin airport. Used when hours — not days — are the difference between success and shutdown.
Booked on the first available flight with capacity for your cargo, typically departing the same day as the booking. Balances urgency with practical availability.
Prioritised booking on next available flights with guaranteed handling at origin and destination. More affordable than NFO while still significantly faster than standard air freight.
Emergency air freight is not just for rare disasters — many businesses use it regularly when supply chain timing breaks down. These are the most common situations we manage:
A missing part halts manufacturing. Every hour of downtime has a cost. NFO gets the component to the plant as fast as physically possible.
Cargo missed a vessel departure and a customer deadline cannot wait for the next sailing. Air freight bridges the gap.
Critical medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, or biologics needed at a hospital or clinic on an emergency basis.
Key product running out ahead of a promotion or peak season. Air freight replenishes inventory faster than any surface option.
Trade show materials, displays, or product samples needed on-site by a hard deadline that ground freight cannot meet.
Goods held at customs unexpectedly released after the original ground carrier has moved on. Air freight recovers lost time.
Equipment failures requiring fast delivery of replacement parts to avoid extended downtime or SLA penalties.
Temperature-sensitive goods that missed their original shipment and cannot wait — moved by air with cold chain handling. See our perishable freight guide.
Our freight specialists pick up and start working your booking immediately.
When you call Shippers First with an emergency freight request, our team activates immediately. Here is what happens from your first call to cargo delivery:
You call 888-826-6118 or email [email protected]. A freight specialist takes your details immediately — origin, destination, cargo description, weight, and timeline. No forms, no queue.
We check live flight availability across our airline carrier network for the earliest flight with confirmed cargo capacity out of your origin airport. For cross-border shipments, we simultaneously verify customs requirements.
We present your options — NFO, same-day, or expedited — with rates and flight details. Once you confirm, we book immediately and lock in the space. Compare standard air vs. ocean freight to understand the full landscape of options.
We arrange urgent pickup from your facility or supplier, coordinate airport check-in, and ensure cargo meets the airline cutoff deadline. For cross-border shipments, we prepare all customs documentation simultaneously.
Our team prepares the air waybill, commercial invoice, packing list, and any required permits. For Canada-US cross-border air freight, we manage CBSA and CBP clearance as part of the shipment. Learn more about Canada-US freight forwarding.
We provide flight tracking and status updates throughout transit. On arrival, we coordinate customs release and final delivery to the consignee. You have real-time visibility at every stage.
Shippers First arranges emergency air cargo departures from all major Canadian airports. For time-critical shipments, we identify which gateway offers the fastest available departure for your specific routing.
| Airport | Code | Region Served |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson International | YYZ | Ontario, Eastern Canada — largest air cargo hub in Canada |
| Vancouver International | YVR | British Columbia, Western Canada, Pacific routes |
| Montréal-Trudeau International | YUL | Quebec, Eastern Canada, transatlantic routes |
| Calgary International | YYC | Alberta, Prairie provinces, Rocky Mountain region |
| Edmonton International | YEG | Northern Alberta, oil and gas industry cargo |
| Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson | YWG | Manitoba, central Canada — major air cargo facility |
| Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International | YOW | National Capital Region, government and tech sector |
Most commercial cargo is eligible for emergency air freight. Shippers First handles a wide range of commodities on urgent timelines — with the documentation and handling expertise each requires:
Dangerous goods and hazardous materials can also be shipped by air, but require IATA-compliant packaging, labelling, and documentation prepared in advance. Advise our team at the time of booking if your cargo has any dangerous goods classification.
Emergency shipments expose every weakness in a logistics provider — slow response, documentation errors, missed cutoffs, and poor communication all compound when time is critical. Shippers First brings the experience and network to execute under pressure.
For businesses that move freight regularly and want to understand the broader landscape beyond emergency situations, our guide on how to choose a freight forwarder is a useful starting point. For standard air cargo planning, see our comparison of air freight vs. ocean freight.
Every hour counts. Shippers First is ready to book your urgent air freight immediately — Canada-wide and international.