Air Freight
Shipping cargo by airplane, either airport-to-airport or door-to-door. Fast but costly, and billed on chargeable weight rather than size alone.
TL;DR: Air freight moves cargo by plane and is much faster than ocean shipping, but it costs far more per kilogram. It suits samples, small orders, and urgent replacements rather than full project orders of heavy goods.
Air freight is usually booked through a freight forwarder, who reserves space with an airline and issues an Air Waybill. A quote can be airport-to-airport, where you handle customs clearance and delivery at the destination airport, or door-to-door, where the forwarder also covers pickup, export and import formalities, and final delivery. Always check which one a quote includes before comparing prices.
Airlines charge by chargeable weight, which is the greater of the actual gross weight and the volumetric weight. Light, bulky goods pay for their space. Dense goods pay for their weight. See Chargeable Weight and Volumetric Weight for how this is calculated.
Compare air freight with Sea Freight, which is slower but far cheaper for large volumes, and with Express Courier Shipping, which is the simplest option for small parcels because a single company handles everything door-to-door.
Glass mosaic sheets are dense and heavy, so the actual weight almost always sets the price. For a full mural order, air freight rarely makes financial sense. It is more practical for color samples, a small missing section, or a rush replacement when a project deadline is at risk. Ask your supplier for the packed gross weight and carton dimensions early so your forwarder can give an accurate quote.