HAIKOU /China/, May 28. /TASS/. The volume of import and export cargo traffic of Meilan International Airport in Haikou (the administrative center of Hainan Province, southern China) in January - April 2024 increased by 112.68% year-on-year to 4.7 thousand tons, Haikou Daily reported.
According to the newspaper, the volume of international cargo transportation of Meilan Airport has recently been on the rise. The airport administration is promoting easier customs clearance procedures and is actively introducing free trade port privileges.
Earlier this month, a new cargo flight was launched on the Haikou - Vienna - Bournemouth route, which is mainly used for the delivery of cross-border e-commerce goods, the paper reported. Other cargo flights currently operating from Meilan International Airport in Haikou include Haikou - Bournemouth, Incheon - Haikou - Singapore, and Haikou - Paris.
Gu Zhencheng, deputy head of customs at Meilan Airport, was cited by the newspaper as saying that the airport administration will continue to optimize the business climate, make full use of Meilan Airport's advantages, and take measures to facilitate cross-border trade procedures.
On June 1, 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the State Council of China issued the Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. The document covers the creation of a special customs zone on this tropical island. The Chinese authorities intend to generally complete the free port’s construction in 2025 - by that time, the island should have a mechanism in place to ensure open trade and investment. By 2035, the authorities plan to secure free trade and investment, cross-border movement of capital, travel, and freight traffic in Hainan.
