Since September, the air cargo hub at Yueyang Sanhe Airport in Hunan Province has officially transitioned into full-scale, routine operations following the simultaneous launch of multiple international all-cargo flight routes. The airport now operates three stable international freight routes connecting Yueyang to Hanoi, Vietnam, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Bangkok, Thailand, effectively covering key economic and trade markets across Southeast and South Asia. This marks the initial establishment of a well-structured and efficient cross-border air freight network.
As part of a broader strategy to optimize the province's aviation hub layout, Hunan has defined differentiated development roles for its airports. Changsha Huanghua Airport will focus on passenger transport, while Yueyang Sanhe Airport is dedicated to air cargo growth, creating a complementary aviation framework where the south handles passengers and the north manages freight. The launch of regular operations at Yueyang Sanhe Airport's air cargo hub signifies a key, substantive breakthrough in Hunan's "south passenger, north cargo, trunk and feeder coordination" aviation development strategy.
To ensure smooth flight operations, Yueyang Customs has deployed oversight resources efficiently, optimized on-site clearance procedures, and implemented comprehensive port supervision. This includes rigorous aircraft boarding inspections and streamlined cargo release processes, guaranteeing that flights are inspected promptly upon arrival and shipments are cleared without delay. The airport has already established standardized customs-supervised facilities and a dedicated e-commerce inspection zone, with complete inspection infrastructure and mature clearance workflows in place.
Within just two weeks of entering regular operations, the international air freight channel in northern Hunan has demonstrated remarkable vitality, with impressive operational metrics. Yueyang Customs has supervised 48 inbound and outbound aircraft movements, facilitating a total import and export value of 150 million yuan and serving over 320 foreign trade enterprises across the city and surrounding northern Hunan regions. Export shipments primarily consist of electronic components, small electromechanical products, textiles, light industrial goods, and fresh aquatic products from local and nearby areas, while imports mainly feature electronic parts and wigs from Southeast and South Asia. The robust two-way cargo flow effectively aligns with the region's industrial import and export requirements.
The convenient local international air channel has delivered tangible benefits to numerous foreign trade companies in Yueyang. An export enterprise in Huarong County, specializing in UV-cured new materials, noted that previously, shipping high-end products abroad required transportation to airports in other cities, involving multiple logistics stages, lengthy transit times, and high costs, with a constant risk of delaying overseas order deliveries. Now, with the ability to ship goods directly from their home city, the clearance efficiency and transportation reliability have vastly improved, significantly shortening cross-border logistics cycles and giving businesses far greater confidence in securing international orders and meeting delivery deadlines.
Looking ahead, Yueyang Customs will leverage the temporary port opening policy, continue refining the air cargo port supervision model, and scientifically allocate regulatory resources. Plans include deepening the "water transport plus air" multimodal transport supervision framework and actively guiding and supporting the construction and application for designated inspection sites for imported fruits, fresh aquatic products, and edible aquatic animals. These efforts are aimed at fully safeguarding the stable, routine operation of international freight routes and strengthening the air cargo port regulatory services in northern Hunan, contributing to the high-quality development of Yueyang's foreign trade.