Extra self-service immigration channels open in Shanghai

Pudong International Airport yesterday opened an extra 21 self-service immigration clearance channels to handle growing passenger numbers.

So far, Pudong airport has 88 such channels.

Shanghai's other major airport, Hongqiao International Airport, has a total of 25, according to the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.

Pudong airport has recorded a year-on-year increase of 80 percent in the number of people using the channels, which only take an average of 10 seconds to use.

Last year, 4.03 million passengers, more than 99 percent of whom were Chinese natives, used the service at Pudong airport. December 17 is so far the day with the most uses of the self-service channels, reaching 30,000.  

Pudong airport still China's busiest

Pudong airport had been the busiest airport on the Chinese mainland for the past 15 years.

Last year, 35.6 million people used Pudong airport as their gateway to enter or leave China, accounting for more than 80 percent of the city's inbound and outbound passengers. Last year a total of 43.75 million flew in and out of Shanghai internationally, a historical high.

Also last year, 83,000 foreign visitors took advantage of the 144-hour, visa-free transit policy offered by the city’s airports and ports, up 135 percent from 2016. 

Another 8,500 foreign visitors who joined package tours and arrived in Shanghai on cruise ships were allowed visa-free stays of up to 15 days, a 40 percent year-on-year.

The station said a historical high of 4 million freight passengers were recorded travelling through Shanghai’s ports last year, as Shanghai remains the busiest port in Asia.

Ti Gong