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Airlift USA Inc. is a family-run freight forwarder and licensed NVOCC (FMC OTI licence 016162) founded in 1999, with US offices in Los Angeles and New Jersey and the Airlift group's own branches in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Gandhidham, Kolkata, New Delhi and Jodhpur. On the India to USA lane the origin office handles factory pickup, stuffing and the Indian export clearance; Airlift USA files the ISF as the NVOCC, coordinates the US customs entry through our licensed customs-broker network, and arranges delivery from the US port to your door.
On this lane the question is not who can book a container from Nhava Sheva; it is who answers for the shipment at both ends, and what the quote actually covers.
The Airlift group has fourteen branches across India, among them Navi Mumbai for Nhava Sheva, Gandhidham for Mundra, and Chennai; Airlift USA has offices in Los Angeles and New Jersey. Export clearance is managed by the Airlift India offices and the import entry is coordinated by Airlift USA with licensed customs brokers, so one company is accountable from pickup to delivery.
Every Airlift office, with addresses →Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai to New York, Los Angeles, Savannah and Houston are among the port pairs Airlift books most, with Ennore and Tuticorin at origin and Long Beach, Norfolk and Oakland at destination also served. Each port pair has a page with its planning range, and the Sealanes pages show the sailings currently offered.
India to USA lane guide →As an FMC-licensed NVOCC (licence 016162, d/b/a Airlift Container Line) Airlift issues its own house bill of lading under an FMC tariff and NVOCC bond and contracts directly with the carriers serving India–US. Your contract of carriage is with Airlift.
Look the licence up on the FMC OTI list →Granite and stone slabs, artificial quartz, cast iron and electrical insulators are the primary commodities on our India to USA lane guide, with textiles, automotive components, machinery and household goods behind them. Heavy slab crates and cast iron need the weight per packed unit stated up front; the commodity guides set out the packing, HTS and AD/CVD points for each.
Granite and quartz slabs from India →Full containers for slab, metal and machinery loads; LCL consolidation, which Airlift runs regularly on its supported lanes, India among them, for smaller shipments; and air freight from India for urgent or high-value cargo. Say which modes you are weighing and the reply covers them.
LCL consolidation from India →The export shipping bill is filed by the Airlift India offices. Airlift files the ISF as the NVOCC before loading. The US entry is filed through our licensed customs-broker network under a power of attorney from you as importer of record; Airlift USA does not hold a US customs broker licence. One team coordinates the documents, the duty estimate and any CBP exam with the broker.
US customs clearance for importers →The reply states the rate, the routing and what is included, with its validity, and can be read line by line against origin pickup and handling, ocean freight, carrier surcharges, destination handling, inland delivery and documentation and customs-clearance service. A cheaper number that omits destination handling or delivery is not cheaper.
Compare two India–USA quotes on the worksheet →Three steps, in this order.
If you are the exporter in India, the India line printed in our footer, +91 93513 74451, reaches the Airlift group offices directly. Prefer to talk first? Book a free 30-minute call with a freight expert. Talk to a freight expert →
The lane, the cargo and the ready date get you a price; the details below make it the right one.
Each item links to the register or directory that publishes it, so you can check it yourself before you send cargo details.
WCA World member since 2019 (Los Angeles and New Jersey offices), International Association of Movers, National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, Los Angeles Air Cargo Association; Indirect Air Carrier (TSA-compliant) and IATA-certified air cargo agent.
Add the pickup location in India, the delivery location in the USA, the cargo and the container or weight. We reply with the rate, the routing and the services included; the US entry is filed through our licensed customs-broker network.
Check four things. An FMC licence and NVOCC bond, so the forwarder issues its own bill of lading. Its own staff at both ends of the lane rather than an agent at one end, so one company answers for pickup in India and release in the US. Who files the ISF and who files the US entry, and under whose licence. And a written quote that lists what is included, so you can compare it with another. Airlift USA meets each of these and links to the registers that prove it in the credentials block on this page.
Yes. The Airlift group has fourteen branches across India, including offices in Chennai, Coimbatore, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Gandhidham, Kolkata, New Delhi and Jodhpur. Factory pickup, stuffing and the export shipping bill are handled by the Airlift India offices; the ISF and the US import entry are coordinated by Airlift USA, with the entry filed through our licensed customs-broker network.
The main origin ports are Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin; the main US gateways are New York, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Norfolk, Oakland, Savannah and Houston. Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai to New York, Los Angeles, Savannah and Houston are among the lanes Airlift books most. Each port pair has its own page with planning ranges, and the Sealanes pages show the current sailings.
A full container (FCL) when your cargo fills most of one, or when it is heavy, fragile or high-value enough to justify its own box; less-than-container-load (LCL) for smaller shipments that can share a container. Airlift consolidates LCL cargo regularly on its supported lanes, India among them. The lane guide and the LCL page give the volume thresholds where each mode usually wins; if you are unsure, send the dimensions and the quote can cover both.
Airlift files the Importer Security Filing as the NVOCC before the container is loaded in India. The US customs entry is filed through our licensed customs-broker network under a power of attorney from you as importer of record; Airlift USA does not hold a US customs broker licence. Airlift coordinates the entry documents, the duty estimate and any CBP exam with the broker, and arranges delivery once the goods are released.
It depends on the port pair and the service. The India to USA lane guide publishes a planning range for each port pair, and the Sealanes route pages show the sailings currently offered with their advertised transit. These are planning figures, not guarantees: the carrier, the routing (Suez or Cape), transhipment and port congestion all move them. Ask for the current options for your ports and ready date in the enquiry.
The pickup location in India and the delivery location in the USA, with preferred ports if you have them; the commodity, package count, gross weight and packed dimensions, or the container size and count; the cargo-ready date and the date you need delivery; and the services you want included. For stone or metals add the weight of each packed unit, for machinery the lifting points and any oversized dimensions, and for textiles the carton dimensions and the delivery deadline.
Transit ranges, ports, sailings and duties for the lane, if you want to work the numbers first.