Air freight—the lifeblood of global commerce—moves virtually any item, from consumer goods to heavy machinery, across the world.

You can ship almost anything by air: letters, packages, cars, horses, construction equipment, and even aircraft themselves. The fleet ranges from standard commercial airliners to specialized cargo carriers.

Air freight is typically categorized into three groups:

• Freight carried on passenger airlines
• Freight flown on dedicated cargo aircraft
• Large payloads transported in super cargo planes

Source: HowStuffWorks, 2008