Company History

Alba Wheels Up® was incorporated in 1949 as a privately owned Customhouse Broker and International Freight Forwarding firm. The first office was opened on Broadway in lower Manhattan and offered services to the rapidly expanding ports of New York.

The JFK International Airport office was opened in 1968 in response to the growing demand for services at the New York/New Jersey airports. In the mid 1970s a new computer system that linked the New York City office to JFK airport allowed for consistent, expedited entry services across the ports of New York and New Jersey. For the first time, both sea and air importers experienced economical and uniform Customs' clearances across all their ports of entry.

In 1994, Alba Wheels Up® International was offering pre-clearance on all commodities not restricted by Federal Agencies (Customs, EPA, FDA, etc.) or subjected to quota restraints. "Wheels Up" refers to an aircraft that has left its origin city but has not yet arrived at its destination.

In 2004, Alba Wheels Up® began offering remote entry filing, which gives the company the ability to clear shipments in any U.S. Customs Port in the United States. Alba Wheels Up® also became CTPAT certified, joining the trade community in securing the nations supply chain. In response to the unprecedented demand for pre-clearance, Alba Wheels Up® International was the first broker/forwarder to address the requirements of time critical importers by developing technologically advanced, computerized systems.