One of the most recent AliExpress tracking statuses these days is “Shipping Update Awaiting Flight”.
This common status is common during peak moments such as during the December holidays, New Year, and Chinese New Year.
What does it mean? How slow or fast will my packages move from there? Let’s find out right away.
What Does “Shipping Update Awaiting Flight” Mean On AliExpress?
This status means that your package has been cleared from China to proceed with its journey but there is no available cargo flight just yet.
The time from which the tracking status moves from this update depends on how fast an available flight comes around and can take between a day to up to 3 months.
When AliExpress thinks that it will take longer before your item can get to you, they use the words below under the “Awaiting flight” update.
“We’re sorry, but due to high demand, shipments are taking longer than usual. We are doing everything we can to ship the order as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience”
Pointers To Note To Avoid This Dreaded Status
If you need a time-sensitive package for a special event, we recommend that you order it well in advance.
The Chinese New Year and December Holiday season are the worst times of the year to buy anything from AliExpress, as the facilities are backed up.
The available flights prioritize the packages in the order they were cleared by Chinese customs.
During worker strike moments like we saw in Canada in late 2024, this update is also fairly common as AliExpress doesn’t proceed with loading items onto planes so soon in moments like those.
While there might be an available airline coming to your country, they might decide to use that tracking status as they monitor the situation and look at when the strike is resolved.
What To Do When Your Item Is Stuck On This Status For Long
Re-track Your Item With A Third-party Site
If you love checking the tracker often, we usually recommend avoiding the Cainiao tracker and using free third-party sites such as 17Track and Parcelsapp to get more refined info whenever the parcel makes any move.
Sometimes, AliExpress takes several hours, days, or weeks without updating their tracking systems, which is why we recommend you to go for alternatives.
When you find that your item has been loaded onto a plane, you will only need to be patient.
Open A Dispute If Applicable
If you check your order details and find that the system has confirmed delivery [within 60 to 90 days] and yet your item is still stuck on “awaiting flight”, you can open a dispute using “Returns/Refunds” for non-delivery.
That way, you will be reimbursed instead of keeping on awaiting a package that doesn’t come.
Depending on the value of the package, the seller can let you keep it if it shows up eventually, albeit later than you needed it.
After “Awaiting Flight,” AliExpress uses the next tracking status as “Leaving Origin Country or Region” to show that the item was loaded onto te next available flight.