Cathay Cargo helps Port of Xiamen go paper-free
Air cargo arrivals and customs clearance have gone digital with eAWBs and single-window process
18 Dec 2019

Cathay Cargo has helped the Port of Xiamen in the Chinese mainland launch paper-free operations. The process for air cargo from arrival to customs clearance is now entirely digitised, based on Cathay Cargo’s expertise with eAWBs (electronic air waybills) and its eFreight experience and leadership, combined with the Port of Xiamen’s single-window process.

The initiative was celebrated in Xiamen in November, and follows a year-long trial. It was launched with the e-Port of Xiamen under a project for APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) to facilitate paperless operations and promote supply chain connectivity across the region. APEC is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In 2014, it created a network of ports known as the Asia-Pacific Model e-Port Network (APMEN).

 

(From left) Xiong Yanliang, Party Secretary and Executive Deputy Director General of Administration of Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone; Hou Kan, Regional Director North Asia for IATA; Huang Feng, Managing Director of APMEN Operational Centre; Ni Chao, Standing Committee Member Xiamen Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and Director General of Administration of Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone; Song Yang, Director of International Trade and Economic Affairs Department, Ministry of Commerce of China and China’s Representative to APEC Committee on Trade and Investment; Fang Yuanwei, Senior Inspector of Xiamen Customs; Clera Lam, Head of Cargo Services Planning and Systems for Cathay Cargo

Speaking after the November ceremony in Xiamen, Head of Cargo Services Planning and Systems Clera Lam said: ‘At Xiamen, the process of air cargo arriving to customs clearance is now completely paper-free. APMEN and Xiamen are promoting this as a model for the rest of the Chinese mainland, and they are also working on the export model from Xiamen.’

This paperless process is being used with Cathay Pacific’s four daily flights to Xiamen, and three other airlines have also signed up for the scheme. Lam added: ‘This reflects one pillar of our cargo strategy, which is to take the lead in the industry for innovation and digitisation.’

 

For more information on APEC and APMEN, click here.

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