London on-board courier service
Direct Carry provides a specialist on board courier service for London businesses and individuals when an international shipment is too urgent for a conventional courier network. Once the shipment is assessed and accepted, a dedicated courier collects it, travels on the agreed commercial flight routing and completes direct handover to the nominated recipient.
London and Heathrow collections
For London collections, Heathrow is often an important international gateway, but the fastest practical departure airport depends on the destination, live flight availability, courier positioning, airline acceptance and shipment requirements. We plan around the route rather than forcing every job through one airport.
When to use an OBC from London
Use an on-board courier when a legal deadline, aircraft-on-ground event, production stoppage or other critical situation makes normal express transit too slow or too exposed to multiple handovers.
Planning collection across London and the UK
Give us the postcode, the time the shipment will be packed and available, and a collection contact. A central London office, a warehouse outside the city and an airport collection each need a different transfer allowance. Collections elsewhere in the UK are assessed against courier positioning and the most practical departure gateway.
Browse courier routes from London, then send us your collection point, destination, item and deadline. We check transport, access and shipment acceptance before confirming a delivery plan.
What determines the delivery time?
Door-to-door timing includes collection, road or rail transfers, check-in, the international journey, arrival formalities and travel to the recipient. The earliest departing flight is useful only if the courier and accepted shipment can reach it in time. A later direct flight can sometimes beat an earlier connection at the final address.
State the deadline with its time zone and tell us whether it means arrival at an airport, delivery to an office or handover to a particular person. For London-to-Europe planning, our Amsterdam route guide compares air and rail access, while the Frankfurt guide explains gateway and final-mile considerations. The New York guide covers a longer international journey.
Which shipments can travel with a courier?
Original paperwork, compact engineering parts and suitable prototypes are typical items to assess. Supply packed dimensions, weight, value and an exact contents description. Tell us about batteries, liquids, temperature requirements or other special handling before a route is selected. Small size alone does not establish whether an item can travel.
For detailed suitability questions, see international hand carry. For an aircraft maintenance deadline, use the AOG courier guidance to prepare the part and receiving details.
Delivery to the named recipient
Provide the full delivery address, a reachable contact, opening hours and any reception or site-access instructions. Airport arrival is one stage of the journey; the agreed handover location determines completion. Direct Carry provides journey updates and delivery confirmation, with the handover arrangements agreed for the shipment.
How Direct Carry handles urgent international delivery
Every enquiry is assessed individually. We need the collection location, destination, ready time, absolute deadline, accurate contents description, dimensions, weight, value and any special handling or regulatory requirements. We then assess whether hand carry is suitable and identify the fastest practical routing.
All movements remain subject to airline acceptance, aviation security, customs, export/import rules, destination laws and courier entry requirements.
A clear delivery plan for your London business
When an overseas office is waiting for signed originals, speed starts with knowing when the final documents can leave. Tell us whether signatures, stamping or an internal approval are still outstanding. We can assess the route around the real release time and the recipient's local deadline, so your team can make a practical booking decision.
For law firms sending original documents overseas, confirm who can release the envelope and who is authorised to receive it. For notary and legalisation document deliveries, explain any collection sequence or sealed-envelope instructions. Our corporate document courier guidance covers business paperwork moving between offices and other named recipients.
Before you commit, we confirm the collection arrangements, assessed route, planned handover and any outstanding acceptance requirements. Share a reachable contact at each end, including an alternative if the named recipient becomes unavailable. Agree how progress updates should reach your team: collection, boarding, arrival, final delivery and any change affecting the plan. You get a clear view of progress while a dedicated courier takes personal responsibility for the accepted shipment.
Use our urgent courier dispatch checklist to gather the details with your team before requesting a quote.