Guangzhou receives first imported fruit shipment via new Hong Kong air transit route

Guangzhou received its first imported fruit shipment under a new Guangzhou-Hong Kong air transit route on Wednesday, with 5.6 metric tons of Indonesian mangosteens cleared at Baiyun International Airport and delivered to Jiangnan Fruit and Vegetable Wholesale Market, Guangzhou Customs said.

The route follows a regulatory cooperation memorandum of understanding that Guangzhou Customs and Hong Kong's Customs and Excise Department signed on Nov 6. It lets fruit imported through Hong Kong's airport move on to Guangzhou under coordinated customs supervision.

The route is meant to ease a seasonal bottleneck. Imports peak from November to February, and direct cargo flights from fruit-growing areas to Guangzhou are frequently overbooked, according to the statement. It said Hong Kong International Airport, with frequent all-cargo services and cold-chain infrastructure, can absorb overflow when direct routes to Baiyun reach capacity.

Liang Zhibo, a senior officer with Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Customs, said Hong Kong Customs supervised the mangosteens on arrival, issued a transshipment confirmation and shared the information with Guangzhou Customs. "We obtained the confirmation ahead of the fruits' arrival for immediate clearance," he said. The shipment reached the market for same-day sale.

Zhou Qide, a local business executive, said direct Jakarta-Guangzhou cargo space is scarce during the harvest season and difficult to book. The new route gives importers and traders more flight options, he said.

The route is expected to unlock about 200 metric tons of additional fruit import capacity at Baiyun in its launch month.