If you are a frequent user of AliExpress, then you might have seen the “Hand Over to Airline” update on your 4PX tracking. Especially for new users, it can be confusing, if they don’t know what it means.
In the article, we have tried our best to cover everything related to the “Hand Over to the Airline” update. So, stick to the post if you want to know more about it.
What’s the Meaning of “Hand Over To Airline”?
Suppose you have received “hand over to airline” status from Ali Express. In that case, it means your package has been handed over to the airline via 4PX logistics to begin its international journey thereby departing from the origin country to the destination country.
The status indicates that your package has left China, is on-boarded into an international cargo flight, and will reach the destination country within a few days. It also means the package has cleared customs in the origin country.
What’s the Procedure for Shipping a 4PX Aliexpress Shipment?
The whole process involves various stages where the packages are scanned, sorted, and then finally handed over to the airline so they can arrive in the destination country. Here is a brief overview of what exactly happens during the shipping of an Aliexpress Shipment.
Order Placement
Select the item that you want to purchase from Ali Express, choose its quantity, and proceed to checkout. It’s the first stage where the sellers receive the notification that someone has placed the order.
Shipping the Order
Upon the confirmation of payment, the seller processes the order and prepares it for shipment and it usually takes around two to three days. 4PX picks up the package from the Senate’s location and if needed it is sent back to its warehouse where it is finally dispatched to the destination country either via cargo plane or a ship.
Departure from China
4PX transports all the packages to the departure airport where they are handed over to the airline. At this time, recipients receive the tracking status of “hand over to airlines” indicating that their package has been handed over to the airlines from the origin country and now they are on its way to arrive in the destination country.
In Transit
Depending upon whether it’s a direct flight or has some layovers the entire process of departure from China to arrival in the destination country can take about a week. It’s just an ideal time frame but the actual time can pretty much depend upon the conditions in the particular country. Sometimes severe weather conditions can delay the operating and efffect the availability of cargo flights.
Arrival in Destination Country
What’s the package arrives in the destination country say the US, all the shipments are handed over to the customs official for inspection before they are finally released for final delivery. The inspection aims to stop the entry of illegal or prohibited items and ensure that all the applicable taxes and duties are paid.
Hand Over to Local Shipping Carrier
As soon as the package gets a customs clearance, it is handed over to the local shipping carrier to make the last mail delivery to the recipient’s address. If the delivery attempt of your package fails then it remains in the local post office for about 2 weeks so that in between this timeframe the recipient can claim or retrieve it by showing your valid photo ID.
How long does a package take after the “airline handover” update?
Generally, it takes around a week for a package to arrive after the handover update but there are certain cases where the package has taken way longer than expected to reach the recipient’s address.
So, if you’re expecting a package from Aliexpress then make sure it doesn’t contain any hazardous or illegal item otherwise during the inspection at the Custom facility the package might be put on hold until you provide further information to prove that it complies with the rules and regulations of the destination country.
Does the update mean your package has departed from China?
Yes, if you have received this update from 4PX it indicates your package has successfully left China and currently it’s on the way to reach the final destination country. However, the actual time of arrival depends upon whether there is a direct flight from China to the destination country or there is some layover between a few other countries.
Why the package is taking way longer after the airline handover status?
There are many reasons why a package takes way longer time than expected to reach the recipient’s address. Flight route and customs clearance are two of the main factors that are responsible for a package getting delayed.
If it’s a direct flight from China to the destination country then it might take way less time as compared to a flight that has multiple layovers over different countries like Singapore and Hong Kong.
Sometimes a package can also get delayed at the customs facility if it’s experiencing an overwhelming volume of packages. It usually happens at the time of some festival sale or there is some shortage of working staff in such cases your package can get delayed up to a few weeks.