Air freight China: Shutdown in Shanghai

Officials at China’s largest cargo airport have closed two freighter terminals because of a COVID outbreak. Shanghai Pudong currently handles hardly any air freight.

Air freight under heavy pressure in China

I would like to report something positive about the freight situation in China once again, but unfortunately bad news continues to arrive.

This time it hit air freight. At Shanghai Pudong Airport, officials have closed two cargo terminals due to a COVID outbreak. Also affected is one of the most important warehouses in China’s largest airport for air cargo. At the moment, hardly any cargo is being handled.

There is still no official statement from the airport officials in Shanghai, the information flows tenaciously and is partly contradictory. All employees in the cargo terminals are tested for COVID. How long the shutdown will last is uncertain at this point, but it could last longer than a week if measures in similar cases at cargo ports are used as a benchmark.

Exporters are trying to move their cargo to smaller airports or Beijing to avoid Shanghai.

Ningbo port terminal open again

There is one piece of good news after all: the Meishan Terminal in the port of Ningbo, which was closed ten days ago due to COVID, has resumed operations. It looks like the port in Ningbo will be able to return to normal operations from September 1.

Any good news is welcome as freight prices are currently at an all-time high. This makes the import of bulky goods to the EU partially unattractive. Products that take up little space, such as most FBA products, can still be imported for profit. The smaller and more space-saving, the better.

Urs Draeger, C2G Production, urs.draeger@c2g-production.de, 0176 641 271 88.