Air Freight Cargo is a business that becomes available after you purchase a Hangar. It has a similar business model to Bunkers, except that you will be completing missions to source the cargo as well as to sell it.

In this article you'll learn everything about running an Air Freight Cargo business so you can decide whether it's something you'd like to add to your arsenal of income streams.

Contents:

How to Get Started with Air Freight Cargo Missions

As mentioned above, the first thing you need to do to start an Air Freight Cargo business is purchase a Hangar. You will also need to be able to register as a CEO or a MC President.

Now go inside the hangar and find the office, as pictured above. It will be up some stairs on one side of the hangar. Sit at the computer and you can start your business. Next step: Choose your source cargo.

Air Freight Source Cargo

There are 8 cargo types to choose from. Each one will give you special bonuses when you sell in different amounts. Here's a quick rundown to help you choose what makes sense for you:

Best Source Materials for Solo Player:

  • Animal Materials
  • Art & Antiques
  • Jewelry & Gemstones

Get 10 crates of any of the above materials to sell with a 12% bonus.

Best Source Materials for Multiplayer:

  • Narcotics
  • Chemicals

Get 25 crates of either of the above materials to sell with a 35% bonus.

Some think it's not worth your time to do air freight missions solo. It's true that you can get more pay for your time elsewhere, but if you enjoy these missions, who are we to stop you?!

Air Freight Source Missions

There are 16 types of Cargo Source Missions. Most of them can be completed solo if necessary. However, the number of crates will change depending on how many players are playing, up to 4 crates maximum. For this reason it's much quicker to complete these missions with multiple players.

In each scenario you'll have to do something to find the location of the crates, then pick them up and bring them back to your hangar. This is why the more central Fort Zancudo hangar locations are recommended.

Note that once the crates have been found they can be destroyed by players or NPCs. Destroying the crates will, of course, immediately fail the mission.

A vehicle is almost always provided for each mission, but the player can use their own vehicle if they prefer.

Below is a list of each type of cargo source mission:

  • Rooftop Crates - The player is provided a Buzzard to fly to a rooftop full of crates. They must destroy the crates until the cargo is found. The amount of crates containing cargo will correspond with the number of players involved.
  • Signal Jammers - Several signal jammers are distributed throughout the map. The player is provided a FH-1 Hunter helecopter to destroy the signal jammers. Once the signal jammers are destroyed the cargo location will be revealed in a Brickade truck found at a random spot on the map. You can either steal the truck or destroy it and collect the cargo. Once the cargo is collected enemies will chase you in Buzzards Attack Choppers.
  • Cargo Planes - Three large cargo planes are marked on your radar. One of the three contains cargo. They are strong and somewhat difficult to destroy. Once the correct cargo plane is destroyed the cargo will parachute down slowly so if you're quick you can pick it up in your plan. Otherwise you can collect it from the ground. Buzzard Attack Choppers will be in pursuit once it's collected.
  • Merryweather Jets - 5 Merryweather P-996 LAZER jets will fly around in formation. One of the jets contains the cargo package. The player is provided a P-45 Nokota to destroy the jets and find the package. More groups, up to three, will spawn around the combat area until the cargo is revealed. Buzzard Attack Choppers will be in pursuit once it's collected.
  • Stunts - A Howard NX-25 stunt plane is provided in which to perform stunts around Los Santos. There's an excitement meter at the bottom right of the screen. There are three stunts you can do to raise the meter: Fly under bridges, marked with yellow dots, perform knife flights (flying sideways in between certain buildings), marked with red/pink stripes), or fly close to the ground while inverted upside down. Once the excitement meter reaches maximum the cargo will be revealed in a Mule cargo truck on the north side of the map. The truck can either be drive to the hangar or destroyed and the cargo collected and transported in another vehicle.
  • Salvage Site - Enemies are salvaging the cargo somewhere offshore. The enemies must be eliminated, then the cargo collected from under water. A Tula aquatic plane is provided. Two Frogger helicopters will be in pursuit after the cargo is collected.
  • Rival Base - The player must destroy multiple targets on the ground, which are being defended by enemies, one armed with a rocket launcher. LF-22 Starling is provided for bombing the targets. Once the targets are eliminated the cargo will be revealed nearby in a parked helicopter. The player must fly the helicopter back to the hangar, pursued by pairs of either Froggers or Buzzard Attack Choppers.
  • Titan Rendezvous - The player must protect a Titan which is bringing the cargo. A Mogul is provided to fight off enemy Buzzard Attack Choppers. There's a health meter for the Titan which must not reach zero. Once the Titan reaches the drop-off location the cargo will parachute down and the player must pick it up and take it to the hangar, pursued by Buzzard Attack Choppers.
  • Cargobob Infiltration - The player must infiltrate wither the Bolingbroke Penitentiary or Humane Labs and Research via parachute from a player-piloted Cargobob. Once all players leave the helicopter auto-pilot is activated. Upon landing a suppressed Combat Pistol is provided to stealthily eliminate the guards and steal the cargo vehicle(s). If stealth is not maintained the players will receive a 3-star wanted level. Buzzard Attack Choppers will also pursue the players in the Humane Labs scenario.
  • Stealing from Gang - The player(s) must go to either the Epsilon Center, the Sandy Shores Airfield, or the McKenzie Field. There they will retrieve a guarded vehicle, either a Buzzard, Pyro, or Rogue, and bring it back to the hangar while being pursued by enemies.
  • Destroy Targets - Three trash trucks and three tug boats are scattered across the map. The player is provided a Seabreeze with bombs to destroy them until the one containing the cargo is revealed. The cargo must then be brought back to the hangar while being pursued by Rogues.
  • Maverick Crashsite - The cargo must be found at a crash site. The player will search within a marked area to find the smoke trail from the crash where there are armed and dangerous enemies. Once the cargo is found two Maverick helicopters will be in pursuit as the player brings the cargo back to the hangar. If the Mavericks are destroyed or outrun then Buzzards will appear.
  • Roof Bombings (Only in Multiplayer) - At least two players will be drive a Rogue to bomb various roofs. The roof locations will be given one by one. Once they've all been cleared the cargo's location will be revealed and it will must be taken back to the hangar. The Rogue must be used to find the first roof's location, but after that other air vehicles can be used instead.
  • Air Ambulance (Only in Multiplayer) - An Air Ambulance, along with a Heavy Sniper Mk II with regular ammo, silencers, and thermal scopes, will be provided to each player so they can eliminate enemies at a given location, ideally while remaining in stealth. The enemies will randomly drop the cargo crates. Once the cargo is collected Buzzard Attack Choppers will pursue the player.

Air Freight Sell Missions

The Air Freight Sell Missions are just like sell missions for other businesses like Bunker Sell Missions and the sell missions for Motorcycle Club businesses.

The only difference is you can choose how much stock to sell. As mentioned above, and shown in the picture above, when you sell certain cargo in certain amounts you'll get bonuses.

Something else to note is that if you sell a lot of cargo at once, like more than 10 crates, it will be more and more difficult to complete the sell mission solo. That's why the cargo that gives a bonus at 10 crates is recommended for solo players.

Trade Price Unlocks

Every three air freigh source missions completed will unlock the trade price of another aircraft. Here's the full list of unlocks and their trade prices:

  • 3 Missions Completed = Nagasaki Ultralight, GTA$ 500,000
  • 6 Missions Completed = Western Company Rogue, GTA$ 1,200,000
  • 9 Missions Completed = Buckingham Alpha-Z1, GTA$ 1,595,000
  • 12 Missions Completed = Nagasaki Havok, GTA$ 1,730,000
  • 15 Missions Completed = LF-22 Starling, GTA$ 2,750,000
  • 18 Missions Completed = V-65 Molotok, GTA$ 3,600,000
  • 21 Missions Completed = Mammoth Tula, GTA$ 3,075,000
  • 24 Missions Completed = RM-10 Bombushka, GTA$ 3,562,500
  • 27 Missions Completed = Buckingham Howard NX-25, GTA$ 975,000
  • 30 Missions Completed = Mammoth Mogul, GTA$ 2,350,000
  • 33 Missions Completed = Buckingham Pyro, GTA$ 3,350,000
  • 36 Missions Completed = Western Company Seabreeze, GTA$ 850,000
  • 39 Missions Completed = P-45 Nokota, GTA$ 1,995,000
  • 42 Missions Completed = FH-1 Hunter, GTA$ 3,100,000