Cathay Cargo has further expanded the reach of the Air-Land Fresh Lane for perishables into the Greater Bay Area (GBA), to Macao.
The Air-Land Fresh Lane enables the import of perishables via Hong Kong to the GBA under a single air waybill.
The process is expedited by a “transhipment certificate” issued by the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department.
With this new direct extension to Macao, the process has been adapted to its local import requirements while retaining an expedited cold chain model, enabling consignees to receive goods in as little as four hours from aircraft landing in Hong Kong.
Towards the end of May, Cathay Cargo operated the Air-Land Fresh Lane to Macao for the first time with a shipment of live blue lobsters from Anglesey in Wales.
The shipment was on one skid, weighed more than 220kg and went via the bridge to Macao from Hong Kong International Airport on a truck under a single air waybill.
Few road feeder service operators in Hong Kong are able to cross the bridge and enter Macao directly, so the goods were transferred between vehicles at a staging point at the border for onward delivery.
The truck to Macao was also assigned a “flight number” for the single air waybill process.
Macao’s premium tourism, retail, and casinos create an opportunity for shippers, said Cathay Cargo.
“Macao has more than 40 five-star hotels, many with high-end international restaurants,” said head of cargo sales Hong Kong and the GBA, Frank Yau. “I think these will create the natural consumption market for this new service.”
In September last year, Cathay Cargo become the first airline to utilise the Air-Land Fresh Lane to improve the efficiency of moving goods across the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB).
The initiative allowed fruit and live or chilled seafood arriving at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) to be transported into the GBA via temperature-controlled trucks equipped with GPS tracking and accredited e-locks.
In April, Cathay Cargo also enabled imported premium perishables to Hong Kong to be brought by sea directly from HKIA to the HKIA Logistics Park in Dongguan.
Strong existing demand
The Air-Land Fresh Lane via Zhuhai has been picking up and there have been regular shipments of chilled and live seafood and fruit via the expedited cross-border process, noted Cathay Cargo.
“We’ve just come to the end of the Australian cherry and grape season, but these fruit shipments will start up from the Americas soon,” said Yau.
“Shipments are becoming more regular, and we are pleased that we can extend this service to Macau right now, which shows we are working together with our partners to develop the solution.”
These partners include Airport Authority Hong Kong, which will be subsidising the new Air-Land Fresh Lane to stimulate demand for the service.
“We’re very grateful to be working with such a proactive airport authority and Hong Kong Customs, which are facilitating trade by supporting efforts to develop imports into the GBA,” added Yau.
“Developments like this will help ensure that Hong Kong retains its status as the world’s busiest air cargo hub and leading position as a gateway to the wider Greater Bay Area.”
