'airfreight' is a compound formed in 20th-century English from 'air' + 'freight'. 'air' ultimately derives from Old French 'air', via Latin 'aer' and Greek 'aēr', meaning 'air'; 'freight' originates from Middle Dutch 'vracht' meaning 'cargo' or 'payment for transport'.

'air freight' began as the two-word phrase describing cargo transported by aircraft in the early 20th century with the rise of commercial air transport; it later became written as the single compound 'airfreight' and produced verb forms such as 'to airfreight' and past/p.p. 'airfreighted'.

Initially it specifically meant 'cargo transported by aircraft'; over time the usage has remained largely stable, extending to characterize goods as 'airfreighted' or the act of sending by air.