With the export of 2.3 tons of electronic products from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport in South China’s Guangdong Province, the airport has hit a record high of one million tons in annual throughput for overseas cargo and mail transport.
When domestic throughput is considered, the airport’s total is expected to surpass two million tons this year, further consolidating its role as a transportation hub.
This marks the achievements in the high-quality development of the airport’s freight services and the high-level opening advocated by the Shenzhen government. As one of China’s key cities for international trade, Shenzhen relies on this performance to bolster its economic growth.
More destinations with upgraded infrastructure
With a focus on supporting the city’s thriving industries and exporting Shenzhen-made products globally, the airport has actively enriched its international services, enhanced transition capabilities and upgraded air freight services. This has helped establish faster economic and trade channels linking the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area with the international community.
Currently, the airport can deliver cargo to 63 airports, 43 of which are outside the Chinese mainland, spanning 27 countries and regions.
This year, the airport has enticed 14 airlines, including Atlas Air, to invest more resources, as it boasts advanced management and significant potential for development. The airport has unveiled 3 new international air freight routes to cities including Miami, and increased flights to high-demand destinations like Manila and Sydney. At present, the airport connects with many major air hubs around the world, including those in Los Angeles, Chicago and Frankfurt.
The airport has upgraded its freight infrastructure with larger accommodations, in a bid to serve as an air hub for national logistics and facilitate the export and import processes. In August, construction began on its North Freight Zone, while many important logistics projects were accelerated, such as the first cargo station for international transition.
In the future, the airport is expected to transport 4.5 million tons of cargos, helping build Shenzhen into a logistics center that is globally impactful. It will also contribute more to establishing a modern industry system for the city and further promote high-level opening up.
Higher efficiency with innovative service models
In 2025, the airport deepened smart logistics reforms and integrated state-of-the-art technologies like digital-twin technology into the whole supervision process to enhance clearance efficiency.
It developed a new mechanism for international transitions and applied it to two international cargo stations, reducing logistics costs and enhancing transportation resilience.
The airport has cooperated with other domestic counterparts in Beijing, Chengdu, Urumqi and Harbin to facilitate customs transfers, and utilize the spare space of passenger planes, ensuring cargos passes through both customs with a single application.
This convenient customs service has shortened the transportation times and lowered the cost of products made in the Greater Bay Area, thus benefiting cross-border e-commerce enterprises. The airport has handled 321,000 tons of cargos in this sector from January to November, increasing by 9.6 percent.
For import efficiency, the airport introduced supervision reforms for frozen aquatic products, putting forward a “white-paper list” to expedite customs clearance for goods not requiring further checks, and streamlining the sampling and assessment processes. These methods have shortened 90 percent of customs clearance time.
The airport has encouraged earlier applications and category-oriented selections, maintaining 24-hour operations throughout the week to ensure enterprises receive products promptly. Special products are delivered for examination through low-temperature lines.
These innovations have driven robust growth of frozen food imports. By the end of November, the airport imported 390,000 tons of frozen fresh food, a remarkable 32 percent year-on-year increase.
The record high of one million tons of overseas cargos transports marks a new chapter for Shenzhen airport’s freight services. Looking ahead, the airport is poised to expand its airline network and provide efficient services to stimulate high-quality foreign trade development in the Greater Bay Area.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
