Shipping from India to Canada: Ocean and Air Freight
Airlift USA ships full containers (FCL) from India to Canada, with its own offices in India at origin and licensed agent partners in Canada. Most cargo discharges on the East Coast at Montreal, Halifax or Saint John, or on the West Coast at Vancouver; Toronto, Calgary and other inland points are reached by rail. On Airlift’s sailings departing July 2025 to June 2026, India to Canada took about 40–66 days port to port (P10–P90), typically around 51: Mundra to Montreal 35–66 days, Nhava Sheva to Montreal 42–66 and Mundra to Vancouver 47–67. LCL and air freight are available too. Air freight takes about 3–5 days airport to airport on nonstop services from Delhi; Mumbai and other cities connect through a hub.
Request an India to Canada freight quote
How Airlift Runs This Lane
Airlift USA (AIRLIFT (U.S.A.), INC., in business since 1999) moves full containers (FCL) from India to Canada, with LCL and air freight available too. Most containers discharge on the East Coast at Montreal, Halifax or Saint John, or on the West Coast at Vancouver; Prince Rupert is an occasional option, and Toronto, Calgary and other inland points are reached by rail. On Airlift’s sailings departing July 2025 to June 2026, India to Canada took about 40–66 days port to port (P10–P90), typically around 51: Mundra to Montreal 35–66 days, Nhava Sheva to Montreal 42–66, Mundra to Halifax 38–55, Ennore to Saint John 45–55 and Mundra to Vancouver 47–67. Every routing transships, and carrier schedules change. Air freight to Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal takes about 3–5 days airport to airport on nonstop services from Delhi, and longer from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, which connect through a hub.
Origin work on the India–Canada lane runs through Airlift’s own offices in India, mainly Chennai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata, and Airlift’s New Jersey office also books the lane. They handle pickup, the Indian shipping bill and vessel or aircraft booking. Airlift has no office of its own in Canada; licensed agent partners and licensed Canadian customs brokers handle the import entry, rail and delivery. Regular cargo on this lane is full containers of granite, artificial quartz, industrial raw materials and manufactured metal products.
Quick Facts: India Canada
Main Ports (by Airlift Export Volume)
Origin ports in India
Nhava Sheva (Jawaharlal Nehru Port, INNSA), Mundra (INMUN), Hazira and Pipavav on India’s west coast; Chennai (INMAA), Ennore and Kattupalli on the southeast coast; and Kolkata in the east.
Destination ports in Canada
Montreal (CAMTR), the largest, for Quebec and Ontario, with Toronto reached by rail; Halifax (CAHAL) and Saint John (CASJB) on the Atlantic coast; and Vancouver (CAVAN) for British Columbia, Alberta and the Prairies, with rail to Calgary. Prince Rupert (CAPRR) is an occasional option.
- Nhava Sheva to Montreal: 42–66 days, port codes and quote
- Mundra to Montreal: 35–66 days
- Mundra to Halifax: 38–55 days
- Ennore to Saint John: 45–55 days
- Nhava Sheva to Vancouver: 46–66 days
- Mundra to Vancouver: 47–67 days
- Chennai to Montreal: current sailings (Sealanes)
- Chennai to Vancouver: current sailings (Sealanes)
Transit Times by Port Pair (Airlift History, P10–P90)
From Mundra
From Chennai
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Halifax | 32–45 days |
From Ennore
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Montreal | 48–64 days |
| Saint John | 45–55 days |
From Kolkata
| Destination port | Transit planning range |
|---|---|
| Vancouver | 41–76 days |
| Halifax | 39–59 days |
Each range runs from the 10th to the 90th percentile (P10–P90) of Airlift’s own shipments on that port pair, port to port, for sailings that departed between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026; a pair is listed when it had at least 10 shipments on 5 or more sailing dates. These are planning ranges, not guaranteed transit times: they vary with carrier rotation and transshipment ports, and the rail leg to Toronto or Calgary comes on top.
These ranges are port to port only. The glossary explains what a quoted transit time includes and which origin and destination legs it leaves out.
Guides for each port pair
Pick your load port and destination. Each page has the port codes, live sailings, the planning range (where the table above lists one) and a quote form with the route already filled in.
Shipping from India to Canada? Get a quote for your route.
Tell us your cargo, ready date and delivery point, and we’ll quote the route.Air Freight from India to Canada
Air freight is the answer when 40–66 days by ocean is too long: samples, apparel drops, spare parts, pharmaceuticals and high-value goods. Airlift moves it through the same Indian offices that handle its ocean containers, so documents, customs coordination and tracking follow one process.
Transit is typically 3–5 days airport to airport on nonstop services, which fly only from Delhi, and longer when cargo connects through a hub, as it does from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad, and 5–10 days door to door once export handling, Canadian customs clearance and final-mile trucking are included. The main gateways are Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bengaluru (BLR), Chennai (MAA) and Hyderabad (HYD) in India, and Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Canada’s largest air cargo gateway, Vancouver (YVR) and Montreal (YUL) in Canada.
You pay on chargeable weight: the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight (length × width × height in centimeters ÷ 6,000). Dense cargo such as machine parts pays by the kilo; light, bulky cartons pay by volume. That is why two shipments with the same gross weight can get very different quotes.
- Documents: air waybill, commercial invoice and packing list, plus a shipping bill filed on ICEGATE at the Indian departure airport.
- No ISF: the US Importer Security Filing covers ocean cargo only and does not apply to air freight to Canada. Instead, the carrier or forwarder files advance air cargo data with the CBSA at least four hours before arrival.
- Consolidated air freight for smaller, time-critical shipments that don’t justify a full pallet.
- Canadian customs entry through a licensed Canadian customs broker, with duty and GST estimated before departure.
What Sets Your India–Canada Freight Rate
Airlift does not publish India–Canada rates online; request a quote with your dates and cargo details. The factors below explain why two quotes for the same container can differ, and which ones you control.
- Port pair and coast: Montreal, Halifax and Saint John (east coast) price differently from Vancouver (west coast), and each pair has its own transit time. Toronto, Calgary and other inland points are reached by rail, and the rail leg is priced separately.
- Container size and type: 20′ standard, 40′ standard or 40′ high cube, plus open-top or flat-rack equipment for oversized cargo.
- Cargo weight: road and rail weight rules cap heavy goods such as granite and quartz, so a 20′ container is often the practical choice even when the cargo would fit a 40′ by volume.
- Season: peak-season surcharges and general rate increases typically run from July or August through the pre-holiday peak in October and early November.
- Contract or spot: recurring volumes can go on carrier contracts with protected space; one-off shipments move at spot rates.
- Destination charges: customs entry, brokerage, chassis and drayage, rail to inland points, and detention or demurrage after free time all sit outside the ocean rate. Ask for them up front.
- Duty and GST are not freight: Canadian duty and the 5% GST are based on the value of the goods, not the freight rate. Budget them separately by tariff classification.
Questions about your cargo?
Tell us what you ship and how it is packed, and a specialist will contact you.What Ships on This Lane
Top commodities (by volume)
- Granite and stone slabs
- Artificial quartz stone
- Industrial raw materials
- Manufactured metal products
Also handled
Automotive parts, packaging materials, household items, machinery components.
Canadian Customs, Duty and GST on Goods from India
Airlift’s own offices handle export clearance in India. In Canada, a licensed Canadian customs broker working with Airlift’s agent partners files the import entry. The requirements below apply to Indian-origin goods entering Canada as of September 2026. Tariff treatments, trade remedies and CBSA programs change by order and customs notice, so confirm the treatment for your tariff classification before the goods ship.
At origin – India
- Importer Exporter Code (IEC) from the DGFT: required for any export from India.
- Shipping bill filed on ICEGATE (Indian Customs EDI) with the commercial invoice and packing list. Customs issues the Let Export Order after assessment and any examination.
- Airlift’s own India offices coordinate the documents, including any certificate of origin or product-specific certificate the Canadian buyer asks for.
At destination – Canada
- Importer registration: a CRA business number with an import/export program account (the RM account), plus registration in the CBSA’s CARM Client Portal. Without a CARM Client Portal account, commercial goods face release delays and can only be cleared by exception, with duties paid at release.
- Financial security: since May 20, 2025, every importer that wants Release Prior to Payment must post its own financial security in CARM; a customs broker’s security no longer covers its clients. The CARM transition measures ended on December 31, 2025, so the commercial importer must hold its own CARM registration and delegate authority to its broker, rather than clearing under the broker’s business number. Separately, since January 1, 2026, amended section 17 of the Customs Act makes whoever is declared as the importer of record jointly liable, with the importer and the owner, for the duties and taxes, including amounts reassessed later.
- Advance cargo data (eManifest / ACI): for marine cargo loaded outside the United States, cargo and conveyance data must reach the CBSA 24 hours before loading at the Indian port, and freight forwarders file house-bill data on consolidated cargo. This is Canada’s counterpart to the US ISF. The Canadian importer files no ISF, but if the sailing calls or transships at a US port such as New York, the carrier files a five-element ISF with US Customs before the container loads in India.
- Accounting: the Commercial Accounting Declaration (CAD), submitted in CARM, replaced the B3 customs coding form on October 21, 2024. The licensed customs broker normally prepares and transmits it.
- Product-specific federal requirements still apply, and the customs broker confirms them before shipment. Wood packaging must carry the ISPM 15 mark.
Duties and taxes on goods from India (as of September 2026)
- Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) tariff: on the CBSA’s list of countries and applicable tariff treatments issued January 1, 2026, India is entitled to MFN treatment only. Canada withdrew General Preferential Tariff (GPT) entitlement from India effective January 1, 2015, and the GPT renewal effective January 1, 2025 did not reinstate it, so Indian goods pay the MFN rate for their tariff classification.
- GST at 5%: the CBSA collects it at import on the Canadian-dollar value of the goods including duty. GST-registered importers generally recover it as an input tax credit.
- Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (SIMA): the CBSA’s measures-in-force list names India for carbon steel welded pipe, flat hot-rolled carbon and alloy steel sheet and strip, corrosion-resistant steel sheet, oil country tubular goods, grinding media and steel wire. If your product is in or near one of these categories, confirm scope before you place the order. Canada’s steel surtaxes also apply: India has no free trade agreement with Canada, so steel goods from India above its tariff-rate quota pay a 50% surtax (a measure extended to June 27, 2027), and listed steel derivative goods have carried a 25% surtax since December 26, 2025; only one steel surtax applies to a good.
- US tariffs don’t apply: Section 301, Section 232 and IEEPA tariffs are United States measures and are not assessed on goods entering Canada. If the goods later move on to the United States, the US entry carries its own duties.
- Duty and GST are assessed on the value for duty of the goods, not on the freight, and are accounted for on the CAD after release.
FCL and LCL Shipping from India to Canada
Two decisions shape an India–Canada shipment. First, a full container of your own (FCL) or space in a shared, consolidated container (LCL): this sets the cost, the door-to-door time and how many times your goods are handled between the factory and your warehouse. Second, which coast the container lands on.
East coast or west coast?
- East coast via Montreal: the Port of Montreal sits about 1,600 km inland on the St. Lawrence and is served by both CN and CPKC, which makes it the usual gateway for Quebec, Ontario and the Toronto market. Airlift’s Toronto deliveries on this lane move by rail from Montreal. Halifax is the other deep-water east coast gateway, with direct access to CN’s inland network.
- West coast via Vancouver: Canada’s largest port, with four container terminals and rail service from CN, CPKC and BNSF, is the natural gateway for British Columbia, Alberta and the Prairies. Prince Rupert, the closest North American port to Asia, connects by CN rail to Toronto, Montreal and the US Midwest.
- On Airlift’s own shipments, Montreal is the largest Canadian discharge port for India cargo, followed by Vancouver, Saint John and Halifax. For Toronto or other Ontario deliveries, ask for both routings and compare the cost to your door, including rail.
Full container load (FCL)
- Equipment: 20′ standard (about 33 m³ of usable space), 40′ standard (about 67 m³) and 40′ high cube (about 76 m³), plus open-top and flat-rack equipment for machinery and out-of-gauge (oversized) cargo.
- The container is loaded and sealed at your supplier’s factory or a container freight station in India, travels under one bill of lading and is delivered intact to your door. No other shipper’s cargo touches it.
- Weight, not volume, often decides between 20′ and 40′: granite, quartz, tiles and cast metal reach road and rail weight limits long before a 40′ container is full, so a 20′ is frequently the practical choice.
- Cut-offs: your booking confirmation lists the document, verified gross mass (VGM) and gate-in cut-offs at Nhava Sheva, Mundra or Chennai. Miss one and the container rolls to the next sailing.
Less than container load (LCL)
- LCL is available on request: your cartons or pallets go to a container freight station (CFS) in India, are consolidated with other shippers’ cargo, and are unpacked at a CFS near the Canadian port or inland rail ramp before delivery.
- LCL is charged per cubic meter or per 1,000 kg, whichever is greater (“weight or measure”), plus CFS handling at origin and destination.
- Ocean transit is the same as FCL on the same service, but consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at destination add days, so door to door takes longer than with a container of your own.
- Packing matters more than in FCL because the cargo is handled several times: palletize, shrink-wrap and mark every piece.
How to choose
- Under about 13 m³, LCL is usually cheaper. Between about 13 and 20 m³, ask for both: once CFS charges are added, a 20′ container often costs little more than LCL. Over 20 m³, FCL usually wins on cost, handling and transit.
- Time-critical or fragile goods favor FCL even at small volumes, because the container is sealed at origin and opened at your door.
- For very small shipments (a few cartons), air can be cheaper once LCL minimums and CFS charges are counted. The air freight section above explains how chargeable weight is calculated.
Door-to-Door Delivery and Inland Routing in Canada
A door-to-door booking puts factory pickup in India, export clearance, the ocean or air leg, the Canadian customs entry and delivery to your warehouse under one quote and one point of contact. Forwarders differ in what their quotes leave out, so agree the incoterm and the list of included charges before you compare prices.
Inland destinations have two routing options. Intermodal: the container lands at Montreal, Halifax, Saint John or Vancouver and continues by rail to an inland terminal (Toronto from Montreal or Halifax, or Calgary and other Prairie terminals on the CN and CPKC networks from Vancouver), then makes a short truck trip from the ramp to your door. Port-to-door trucking: suits destinations close to the port, such as Montreal itself or the Lower Mainland around Vancouver. Which is cheaper changes with the season and the rail surcharge, so ask for both when the delivery point is inland.
Common terms on this lane: FOB (your supplier delivers the goods on board at the Indian port and you pay from there), EXW (you pay from the factory door) and DDP (the supplier quotes a delivered, duty-paid price; it then controls the Canadian customs entry and the declared value, and must itself be set up as a non-resident importer). Airlift can quote from any of these points.
What happens after the port
- Drayage: a truck and chassis move the container from the terminal or rail ramp to your door, then return the empty to the depot.
- Free time: terminals and rail ramps allow a few days to collect the container before demurrage starts, and carriers allow a few days to return the empty before detention applies. Both are billed per day, so book the delivery appointment before the vessel arrives.
- Transloading: for retail distribution, containers can be unloaded at a warehouse near the port or ramp and reloaded into domestic trailers, which suits multi-stop deliveries and retailer routing rules.
- Delivery appointments, liftgate service and residential delivery cost extra; mention them when you request a quote so they are priced in.
Choosing a Freight Forwarder for India to Canada
On this lane, a freight forwarder does more than book a container. It arranges factory pickup and loading in India, files the shipping bill with Indian Customs, books vessel or aircraft space, makes sure advance cargo data reaches the CBSA before loading, coordinates the Canadian customs entry through a licensed broker, and arranges rail and trucking to your warehouse.
Airlift has handled ocean and air freight since 1999 and is a C-TPAT certified partner. In India, Airlift’s own offices handle origin work, so the shipping bill, container loading and vessel booking stay with one team. In Canada, customs coordination, rail and delivery run through licensed agent partners and Canadian customs brokers that Airlift works with on this lane.
Airlift USA Inc. is an FMC-licensed NVOCC (license 016162) for United States trades. The FMC license and bond cover US ocean commerce and do not extend to Canada; on the India–Canada lane, Airlift acts as your freight forwarder.
Shipping line, forwarder or NVOCC: who does what?
- Ocean carriers (shipping lines) own or charter the vessels and set their own rates and schedules. Which lines call Montreal or Vancouver from India changes with service rotations, so ask which service your quote is based on.
- An NVOCC (non-vessel operating common carrier) buys space from those lines and issues its own house bill of lading. In the United States, NVOCCs are licensed and bonded by the FMC, but that license covers US trades only; on this lane, the credential to check is the Canadian customs broker’s CBSA license.
- A freight forwarder arranges the whole move around the ocean leg: pickup, export clearance, advance filings, the Canadian customs entry and delivery. Most importers want one company accountable for the bill of lading and the service around it.
What to check before you choose a forwarder
- Own staff in India, so factory pickup, the shipping bill and vessel booking are handled directly rather than through a sub-agent.
- Ocean and air on the same lane, so a delayed order can switch modes without switching forwarders.
- Advance cargo data track record: eManifest data must reach the CBSA 24 hours before loading, and a late filing can hold the container at the Indian port.
- Canadian customs through a CBSA-licensed customs broker, with tariff classification and duty and GST estimates available before you book.
- Live tracking and online document access, not emailed status updates.
How to Ship from India to Canada, Step by Step
- Request a quote: share pickup and delivery locations, cargo-ready date, commodity, weight and dimensions or container needs, and whether delivery is to the port, a rail ramp or your door. If the date is tight, ask for an air option too.
- Set up the importer: confirm the Canadian importer’s business number and RM account, CARM Client Portal registration and financial security, and appoint a licensed customs broker. Classify the goods and estimate duty and GST before the order ships.
- Confirm the booking and cargo-ready date: Airlift’s India office secures vessel or aircraft space and equipment, and sends a booking confirmation with document and gate-in cut-offs.
- Pickup and loading: the container is positioned at your factory or a container freight station, loaded, sealed and gated in at Nhava Sheva, Mundra or Chennai.
- Export customs in India: the shipping bill is filed on ICEGATE under the exporter’s IEC with the commercial invoice and packing list, and customs issues the Let Export Order.
- Advance data and bill of lading: cargo data goes to the CBSA at least 24 hours before loading, and the bill of lading is issued once the vessel sails. Air shipments move on an air waybill with the carrier’s advance air cargo data.
- In transit: track by container number or bill of lading, with ETA updates as the vessel moves and, for Calgary, Toronto or another inland point, once the rail leg is confirmed.
- Canadian customs entry: the licensed broker obtains release, then submits the Commercial Accounting Declaration in CARM; duty and GST are paid under the importer’s security.
- Delivery: a truck brings the container from the port or rail ramp to your door, and the empty is returned within free time.
Why Airlift
- Airlift’s own offices in India (14 branches) handle pickup, export documents and booking directly; India–Canada cargo is booked mainly through Chennai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata
- Ocean FCL from India to Canada, plus LCL and air freight, coordinated by one team
- Montreal, Halifax, Saint John and Vancouver, with rail to Toronto and Calgary, covered through licensed agent partners and Canadian customs brokers
- Published transit ranges for each port pair, from Airlift’s own shipment history
- Experience shipping stone, industrial and manufactured cargo
- Shipment visibility through Airlift’s digital platform
- In business since 1999, shipping ocean and air freight
Check our licenses before you ship
Each license and membership below links to the public register or directory that lists it, so you can verify who you are dealing with before you send cargo details.
- FMC OTI license 016162 — Licensed and bonded NVOCC and ocean freight forwarder, d/b/a Airlift Container Line. Look it up on the FMC OTI list →
- FMCSA property broker, USDOT 2355713 / MC-798584 — US drayage and trucking arranged as a non-asset broker through contracted motor carriers. FMCSA SAFER company snapshot →
- WCA World member since 2019 — Los Angeles head office and New Jersey branch, both with Gold Medallion financial protection. WCA member profile →
- C-TPAT certified — Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. About C-TPAT →
- NCBFAA regular member — National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. NCBFAA →
- IATA CargoLink listed — IATA-accredited air cargo agent, listed in the CargoLink directory. CargoLink listing →
What to Include in Your Quote Request
Send these details so the team can review the route, equipment and scope of service. If something isn’t decided yet, say so in your notes.
- Pickup location in India and delivery location in Canada; preferred ports or coast, if known.
- Commodity, package count, gross weight and packed dimensions, or container size and quantity.
- Cargo-ready date and the date you need the goods to arrive or be delivered.
- Which services to include: pickup, origin handling, freight, customs coordination, rail and final delivery.
- Whether the Canadian importer is already registered in CARM with a customs broker appointed, or needs help setting that up.
- Stone or metals: the weight of each packed unit. Machinery: lifting points and any oversized dimensions. Textiles: carton dimensions and delivery deadlines.
The more of this you send, the more complete the quote, and the easier it is to compare with others.
Request an India to Canada freight quote
Your route is already in the notes; edit it if you need to. Then add what you are shipping, when it is ready, pickup and delivery locations, and the services you want quoted.
Prefer WhatsApp? Message us on WhatsApp+91 93513 74451
Tools and guides for this lane
Shipping from a country without a lane guide? See every origin, by region, on shipping to the USA by country of origin.
Frequently asked questions
Ocean freight from India to Canada takes about 40–66 days port to port, typically around 51, on Airlift’s sailings departing July 2025 to June 2026 (P10–P90: 8 in 10 shipments fell inside the range). By port pair: Mundra to Montreal 35–66 days, Nhava Sheva to Montreal 42–66, Ennore to Montreal 48–64, Mundra to Halifax 38–55, Ennore to Saint John 45–55, Mundra to Vancouver 47–67 and Nhava Sheva to Vancouver 46–66. Toronto and Calgary are reached by rail from the port, so allow extra days for the rail leg. Air freight takes about 3–5 days airport to airport on nonstop services from Delhi, longer from Mumbai and other Indian airports, which connect through a hub. Sailings on these pairs transship, and carrier schedules change, so confirm the routing when you request a quote.
India to Canada ocean cargo loads at Nhava Sheva (INNSA), Mundra (INMUN) or Hazira on India’s west coast, at Chennai (INMAA), Ennore or Kattupalli in the southeast, or at Kolkata in the east. Most of it discharges on Canada’s East Coast, at Montreal (CAMTR), Halifax (CAHAL) or Saint John (CASJB), or on the West Coast at Vancouver (CAVAN); Prince Rupert (CAPRR) is an occasional option. Toronto, Calgary and other inland points are reached by rail. On Airlift’s shipments, Mundra to Montreal took 35–66 days port to port and Mundra to Vancouver 47–67 days.
Mostly full containers. From India to Canada, Airlift ships full containers (FCL) in 20′, 40′ and 40′ high-cube equipment, with flat-rack and open-top units for oversized cargo, and LCL is available on request. As a rule of thumb, under about 13 cubic meters LCL is usually cheaper; above about 20 cubic meters a container of your own usually wins on cost and handling. LCL has the same ocean transit as FCL on the same service, but consolidation in India and unpacking in Canada add days door to door.
In India: a commercial invoice, a packing list and a shipping bill filed on ICEGATE under the exporter’s IEC (Importer Exporter Code). Airlift’s own Indian offices coordinate these. In Canada: the importer’s business number with an RM import account and CARM registration, plus the bill of lading and commercial invoice; a licensed Canadian customs broker files the Commercial Accounting Declaration in CARM. The Canadian importer files no US Importer Security Filing; if the sailing calls or transships at a US port such as New York, the carrier (or the party filing the US in-bond) files a five-element ISF with US Customs before the container loads in India. Canada’s own equivalent is eManifest cargo data, which the carrier and forwarder file 24 hours before loading.
Indian goods pay Canada’s Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) duty rate for their tariff classification, as of September 2026. India lost General Preferential Tariff (GPT) treatment on January 1, 2015, and the GPT renewal effective January 1, 2025 did not reinstate it. On top of duty, 5% GST is collected at import on the value of the goods including duty; GST-registered importers can generally recover it. Some Indian steel products also carry anti-dumping or countervailing duties under SIMA. US measures such as Section 301 do not apply to Canadian entries. Duty follows the goods, not the freight, so confirm the classification with your customs broker before the order ships.
Send a quote request using the form on the India to Canada page; Airlift does not publish India–Canada rates online. Include your pickup location in India and delivery location in Canada, cargo-ready date, commodity, weight and dimensions or container size and number, and whether delivery is to the port, a rail ramp or your door. Say whether the Canadian importer is already registered in CARM with a customs broker appointed, and ask for an air option too if the date is tight.
Yes. Air freight from India to Canada takes about 3–5 days airport to airport on nonstop services from Delhi, longer from Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai or Hyderabad, which connect through a hub, and 5–10 days door to door including Canadian customs clearance. Cargo flies from Delhi (DEL), Mumbai (BOM), Bengaluru (BLR), Chennai (MAA) and Hyderabad (HYD) to Toronto Pearson (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR) and Montreal (YUL). You pay on chargeable weight: the greater of the actual weight and the volumetric weight (length × width × height in centimeters ÷ 6,000).
Airlift does not publish a fixed price, because the rate depends on the port pair and coast, cargo-ready date, equipment, cargo weight and season. To compare quotes properly, ask for three things together: the ocean rate, the rail leg if you need Calgary, Toronto or another inland point, and the destination charges (customs entry, brokerage, drayage and any detention after free time). Budget duty and GST separately; they are based on the value of the goods, not the freight.
Ocean FCL usually gives the lowest cost per unit for commercial cargo. LCL usually wins below about 13 cubic meters. Air costs the most, but it is the only option when the delivery date can’t move. Heavy stone and metal loads often suit 20′ containers rather than 40′ because of Canadian road and rail weight limits. For Toronto, compare Montreal plus rail against Vancouver plus rail: the door cost usually favors Montreal, but the answer changes with the season.
One booking covers factory pickup, export clearance in India, the ocean or air leg, the Canadian customs entry and trucking to your warehouse. For inland destinations, the container lands at Montreal, Halifax, Saint John or Vancouver, continues by rail under the same bill of lading to a terminal near you (Toronto from Montreal or Halifax, or Calgary and other Prairie terminals from Vancouver), then goes by truck to your door. To compare door-to-door quotes like for like, ask for the incoterm and the list of included charges: drayage, chassis, customs entry, rail and delivery appointment.
Yes, and do it before the container sails; it can’t be done at the port. A commercial importer needs a CRA business number with an import/export (RM) program account and an account in the CBSA’s CARM Client Portal. Since May 20, 2025, the importer must also post its own financial security in CARM to get goods released before paying duty; a customs broker’s security no longer covers its clients. The importer then delegates authority to a licensed customs broker, who files the release and the Commercial Accounting Declaration.
Choose by final destination in Canada. Montreal is the usual gateway for Quebec and Ontario, with rail to Toronto, and Halifax and Saint John are the other East Coast options. Vancouver serves British Columbia, Alberta and the Prairies, with CN and CPKC rail inland to Calgary and Edmonton; Prince Rupert is an occasional alternative. On Airlift’s shipments, Mundra to Montreal took 35–66 days port to port and Mundra to Vancouver 47–67 days. For Ontario deliveries, get both routings quoted to your door and compare total cost and transit, not just the ocean rate.
Airlift USA has 14 offices of its own in India. India to Canada cargo is booked mainly through the Chennai, Ahmedabad, New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Kolkata offices, which handle pickup, the Indian shipping bill and booking, and Airlift’s New Jersey office also books this lane. Airlift has no office in Canada: licensed agent partners and licensed Canadian customs brokers handle the Canadian customs entry, rail and delivery. Airlift USA’s FMC license (No. 016162) covers US trades, not Canada.
In the 28-day carrier schedule snapshot taken September 18, 2026, India to Montreal sailings were listed by Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE and CMA CGM, and India to Vancouver sailings by HMM, ONE, Hapag-Lloyd, Maersk and CMA CGM. None was direct: Montreal cargo transshipped at ports such as Rotterdam, Algeciras or Tanger Med, and Vancouver cargo at Singapore, Busan or Colombo. Service rotations change often, so ask which carrier and service your India–Canada quote is based on.
No. Airlift moves commercial freight (cartons and pallets by LCL or air consolidation, and full containers), not individual parcels, mail, or personal and household effects. A courier, postal service or household-goods mover is the right choice for those. If you are moving or returning to Canada, the CBSA’s “Moving or returning to Canada” guidance covers the rules for settlers’ and returning residents’ effects, including the BSF186 goods list.
Case by case. Airlift’s India to Canada service runs from its own offices in India, and the same team reviews requests for the Canada to India direction. Use the quote form, state the direction and the pickup point in Canada, and include the commodity, package count, gross weight and dimensions or container size, the cargo-ready date and the delivery point in India.