Cathay Cargo announced on October 7 that it had become the first airline to launch the "Air-Land Fresh Lane," a project spearheaded by the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
<Image illustration of "Air Land Fresh Lane">
This makes it possible to seamlessly transport fresh produce such as fruits, seafood, and chilled seafood to the wide GBA (Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province) via Hong Kong International Airport.
"Air Land Fresh Lane" enables faster and more efficient cold chain transportation by transferring perishable goods arriving at Hong Kong International Airport from overseas to temperature-controlled trucks equipped with certified electronic locks and GPS, and then distributing them throughout the GBA via Zhuhai based on a single air waybill.
Shipments of aquatic products and fruits will be issued a "Forwarding Confirmation Certificate" by Hong Kong Customs, simplifying the "Inspection, Quarantine, Supervision and Management Measures for Imported Fruits/Live Aquatic Animals" by the General Administration of Customs of China, and facilitating imports to mainland China via Hong Kong.
Furthermore, the issuance of the certificate exempts food importers from the registration requirement with the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, leading to faster transportation processes and reduced costs for customers.
The trial shipment of seafood took place in mid-August and carried live lobsters transported by Cathay Cargo from Melbourne.
Following the success of the trial shipment, live geoduck clams were transported from Los Angeles, with all shipments smoothly transferring from aircraft to temperature-controlled trucks and crossing the border without delay.
