New measures boost Guangzhou airport development

Guangzhou Customs has introduced a series of detailed measures to facilitate customs clearance further at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangdong province to support its high-quality development.

The measures will also further promote the construction of a multifunctional international aviation hub and the national aviation economic demonstration zone in the southern metropolis, said Gu Jiong, deputy director of Guangzhou Customs.

According to the measures, Guangzhou Customs will continue strengthening the 24-hour customs clearance guarantee.

"For the goods that do not require customs inspection, electronic release will be implemented around the clock, with automatic checkpoint verification," Gu said at a news conference on Thursday.

Fresh and live aquatic products and urgently-needed goods that require customs inspection will be inspected and quarantined upon arrival, he said.

"At the same time, Guangzhou Customs will further strengthen the guarantee of the green channels for new and high-tech products, urgently-needed medicines, and medical devices for people's livelihood," he said.

Gu said Guangzhou Customs supports the construction of dedicated prescreening areas for transit luggage and waiting areas for transit passengers.

Customs officers will also provide convenient customs supervision services for domestic and foreign enterprises and personnel to carry out international business exchanges, international exhibitions, and international training in the airport's global business cooperation zone, he said.

In the first four months of the year, Guangzhou Customs has supervised more than 39,000 inbound and outbound flights, with more than 5.85 million inbound and outbound passengers, up 19 percent and 25 percent year-on-year, respectively, according to Gu.

The airport's import and export freight volume exceeded 500,000 metric tons from January to April, up 22 percent year-on-year, he added.

The airport was ranked as one of the top 10 busiest airports in the world last year.