Shanghai airports step up service for CIIE delegations, cargo
A newly-opened specialized service center for CIIE delegation and travelers at the Pudong airport.
Shanghai’s two airports have upgraded facilities and improved services to better serve participants and cargo to the second China International Import Expo.
A large number of delegations and exhibitors to the CIIE entered the city through the Hongqiao and Pudong international airports. Hundreds of tons of exhibits are also being transported to the city through the cargo terminal of the Pudong airport.
Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports have opened six specialized service centers, free shuttle buses and fast security channels for participants to the CIIE, the Shanghai Airport Authority said.
Delegations to the CIIE, to be held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center between November 5 and 10, can enjoy preferential services in customs clearance, immigration inspection, security checks and luggage claim through green channels at both airports.
Four CIIE service centers have been set up at the Pudong airport, while another two have been installed at Hongqiao. The centers will operate between 6am and 12am every day during the CIIE, and offer consulting and business services as well as showcase the city’s image to delegations and travelers.
The terminal buildings at both airports have been redecorated to feature Jinbao, the expo mascot, and miniature traditional Chinese gardens.
About 60 volunteers are on duty at terminal buildings at both airports each day to offer multilingual assistance to CIIE delegations and travelers.
At the Hongqiao airport where many CIIE participants are expected to come with both commercial and charter flights, faster boarding and arrival procedures have been launched to benefit delegations and exhibitors as well as other travelers.
Shanghai Customs has opened four special channels for CIIE participants at the T1 terminal and the business jet base at the Hongqiao airport. Two specialized windows have been opened for exhibition items and cargo for the CIIE, said Lu Yixing, a customs official at the airport.
“It will take about five minutes for a CIIE participant to finish customs clearance after picking up luggage at the airport, compared with 10 minutes on average,” Lu said.
The immigration inspection authority has opened eight specialized channels for CIIE participants and cargo. An elite team with 20 immigration officers has been organized to better serve CIIE delegates, said Hu Shiyun, deputy director of the immigration inspection station at the Hongqiao airport.
Four special channels have been opened at the Hongqiao business jet base as a large number of VIP delegates will come with business jets or charter flights, Hu said. It will take about three minutes for CIIE participants to finish inspections. Three security check channels have been opened at the Hongqiao airport for the CIIE, according to the Hongqiao airport operation headquarters. A baggage carousel at each terminal has also been set aside to serve CIIE participants, with volunteers to offer help.
These served delegations well during the first CIIE in 2018, and better services will be offered this year, said Shi Xinyan, deputy director of the airport’s operation headquarters.
Customs authorities have also launched trials to check passengers’ luggage beforehand to save time and make clearance more efficient. The luggage goes through machine security checks before being collected. Suitcases suspected of having illegal content will be attached with a customs mark and a special lock to receive further checks, while other passengers can leave the airport directly, Lu said.
The airport authority has also installed a number of hi-tech facilities and robots at the terminal buildings to offer various services.
“Magic walls” have been installed at the S1 satellite terminal at Pudong to guide passengers to toilets, boarding gates and elevators using a touch screen. Passengers can scan a QR code to download a guide to their mobile phones.
Two robots will serve passengers during the expo which will open at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. They will make their debut at the airport ahead of the expo, according to the airport authority.
A newly opened specialized service center for CIIE delegation and travelers at the Pudong airport.
Convenient transport
Since the Pudong airport is 70 kilometers away from the National Convention and Exhibition Center, the airport has opened free shuttle bus lines between 9am and 7:30pm every day during the expo. The shuttle buses will also set off between 10am and 6:30pm from the venue to the airport.
At the Hongqiao airport, which is close to the exhibition center, a popular parking garage has been renovated to serve those who drive to the CIIE.
The P7 parking garage at the T2 terminal at the Hongqiao airport is located near the exhibition center. The garage, featuring a car plate recognition system that allows drivers to pay without having to stop at a booth, has finished its biggest renovation since opening in 2010.
Some 9,200 square meters of pavement have been restored, while over 50 signs have been added. Vertical greenery, leisure seats and glass fences have been newly installed. The new lighting system makes toilets and meeting points at the garage more noticeable, the airport authority said.
Cargo for the CIIE also enjoy faster clearance procedures at both airports.
The cargo terminal of Pudong airport has received over 120 tons of exhibits and other materials for the CIIE, far exceeding the total at the first expo last year.
A total of over 150 tons of exhibits and cargo will arrive in the city for the expo via the airport. Most of them arrived between November 1 and 3.
Air-shipped cargo that’s already landed includes over 9 tons of fruit, seafood, dairy products, chocolate, alcohol, jewelry, medicine and items requiring controlled temperatures.
A green channel has been opened at the cargo terminal. Supported by Shanghai Customs, exhibits and other items for the expo can have preferential treatment in regard to storage and delivery, the airport authority said.
“If the cargo arrives in the morning, the whole clearance procedure can be completed within a day to ensure the freshness and timeliness of the exhibits,” said Yang Hai, a Customs officer at the Pudong airport.
The flight punctuality rate at both airports is also expected to increase during the CIIE thanks to a cooperative scheme among airlines, air traffic controllers and the airport authority.
The on-time rate at Hongqiao, for instance, has increased to 94 percent in October from 92 percent in September.
