The Macao International Airport Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal launched its pilot air cargo palletization service on Wednesday.

The first shipment of cross-border e-commerce goods, comprising toys and watches, was transported by Nam Kwong Logistics Co using a customized air freight container. The cargo departed from the Nam Kwong (Hengqin) Logistics Center, was cleared by customs at the Hengqin Port, and then arrived at Macau International Airport before being flown to the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.  This marked the country’s first official operation of the cross-border land-air intermodal logistics project on the Chinese mainland.

The launching ceremony was attended by Sam Hou-fai, chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Zhang Guozhi, standing committee member of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China and Guangdong vice-governor, and the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR.

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Ng Wai-han, secretary for economics and finance of the Macao SAR, said the pilot air cargo palletization project has proved innovative in logistics systems and rules in terms of facilitating data flows. It has transformed the logistics model through the cross-border land-air intermodal operation, and has achieved breakthroughs in driving industry transformation.

“A number of leading logistics companies and cross-border e-commerce entities are accelerating their agglomeration, gradually forming a full service chain covering logistics and transportation, customs declarations and inspections, as well as fund settlement,” Ng said at the ceremony.

The upstream cargo terminal at Hengqin enables customs declarations, security inspections, and the palletization of goods to be completed in Hengqin in one go, and for them to reach Macao airport directly for loading and shipment. This will effectively promote Macao International Airport’s aviation hub status and the scale of its air logistics business.

Wu Chuangwei, industrial development director at Bureau of Hengqin, said the next step for Macao and Hengqin is to accelerate the construction of the upstream cargo terminal at Hengqin, which is scheduled to begin operation in mid-2027.

“We will realize integrated operation (of the upstream cargo terminal) and Macao International Airport, promoting in-depth practical cooperation between the airport, the terminal and Nam Kwong (Hengqin) Logistics Center, strengthening synergy and business docking, and effectively supporting Macao International Airport in improving its cargo capacity,” Wu said.

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“The successful maiden flight marks a new milestone in the development of air cargo cooperation between Macao and other regions, ushering in a new chapter in high-quality development,” Fan Gaoyan, general manager of Nam Kwong Logistics Co, said.

Situated within the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the terminal is located approximately 13 kilometers from Macao International Airport. With a total building area of approximately 97,000 square meters, the terminal is expected to have an annual air cargo handling capacity of 300,000 tons when it commences operation next year.

The construction of the Hengqin Upstream Cargo terminal — one of four major projects outlined in the Macao SAR government's 2025 policy address — is an initiative to align the Macao SAR with the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), further integrating the city into the overall national development strategy.

Li Xiang contributed to this story