On 3rd November, approximately 700 kilograms of outbound express parcels were cleared by Ezhou Customs, a branch of Wuhan Customs, and were then transported to Liege, Belgium on flight O37099. This marked the first batch of international express parcels to be processed following the launch of the SF Transfer Centre at Ezhou Huahu Airport. It signifies the official start of international express business at Huahu Airport, offering a convenient and efficient airport business environment for global commerce.
The SF Transfer Centre at Huahu Airport spans an impressive 750,000 m2 and features a sorting line that extends 52 km, with the capacity to process 280,000 items per hour, making it the largest express sorting centre in Asia. Additionally, the international express centre covers a construction area of 27,000 m2 and is equipped with 14 intelligent customs inspection lines and a fully automated express sorting system.
Zhang Yan, the representative for the SF Transfer Centre responsible for customs business, expressed gratitude for the strong support from the customs in the construction and operation of the centre. He mentioned that during the initial construction phase, they strictly followed the customs' guidance, which significantly improved construction efficiency. The customs also developed a tailored customs clearance logistics plan, addressing issues related to information transmission and data declaration. This was achieved through the development of an international express data declaration module, coordinated testing and data simulation of the express inspection line, and the implementation of data declaration and actual cargo testing. Zhang Yan highlighted that the customs' guidance and assistance were instrumental in successfully establishing a nationwide overnight transportation network for goods and connecting to the global market the following day.
Ezhou Customs has been actively promoting the development of smart customs and the "Smart Customs, Strong Nation" initiative. The goal is to create the most streamlined clearance process, implement the smartest regulatory methods, achieve the highest logistics efficiency, and build it as the most centralised inspection facility. In line with the features of the SF Transfer Centre at Huahu Airport, regulatory measures have been integrated to implement intensive, intelligent, and information-based control throughout the entire production process of businesses. This has further enhanced the integration and connectivity of domestic and international markets in Ezhou city.
“Regulation is the cornerstone, and service is crucial. In response to the daytime collection and delivery patterns of the express parcel industry and the nighttime clearance needs of businesses, Ezhou Customs has fully implemented a 24/7 clearance guarantee. The initial batch of outbound express parcels achieved almost zero clearance time for goods not requiring inspection, while the clearance time for inspected goods was halved. The average time for express parcels to move from the inspection line, through clearance and allocation, to the start of palletizing is only 15-20 minutes," stated Liu Shi, the head of the inspection department at Ezhou Customs under Wuhan Customs.