Hengqin is offering subsidies to boost Macao’s air freight sector

The Hengqin government is offering to subsidise logistics firms millions of yuan per year to direct air cargo through Macao under a pilot support scheme supporting Macao’s air freight sector. The scheme is scheduled to run between 26 August 2026 and 31 December 2028. 

In a statement published on 25 August 2026, the Industrial Development Bureau of Hengqin said the 17-item support programme covers areas such as cross-border logistics, warehouse operations, talent development, air freight services and use of the Macau International Airport Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal.

How is Hengqin boosting Macao’s air freight sector?

The scheme introduces a number of subsidies, including one for international freight forwarding enterprises that carry out import and export operations via the Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal. Such firms are eligible for a subsidy of 1 yuan for every kilogram of goods transported, capped at 5 million yuan (US$744,009) per year. 

To reduce the cost of logistics firms operating out of Hengqin, the government is also offering three types of operational subsidies. 

Qualified companies that operate Hengqin premises used for import and export businesses can receive a financial grant that covers 50 percent of their operating and maintenance expenses, with the annual limit set at 2 million yuan. 

Financial support is also on offer for firms that rent warehouses in Hengqin for the purposes of moving goods via Macau International Airport. These companies can apply for a subsidy that covers 50 percent of their rent, limited to 1 million yuan per year. 

Meanwhile, the government is offering a subsidy that covers 30 percent of the business expenses incurred by international freight forwarding enterprises conducting import and export operations at the Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal. The financial subsidy is capped at 5 million yuan per year and covers operational expenses relating to areas such as document processing, cargo handling, cargo security check, pallets and freight transport. 

What do firms get for using Macao carriers?

To enhance the international competitiveness of Macao’s air freight sector, the Hengqin authorities are meanwhile providing a subsidy that covers 12 percent of the freight expenses of qualified international freight forwarders that delegate a Macao air transport enterprise or a Macao air cargo sales agent to transport goods through the Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal. This payment is capped at 12 million yuan per year.

[See more: Prospects of direct Macao-Lisbon flights dim, as officials acknowledge ‘significant challenges’]

In addition, Macao-funded businesses and firms that are part of the Hengqin government’s enterprise cultivation support scheme are eligible for financial assistance. 

What is being done to support talent in Macao’s air logistics sector?

Subsidies are in place to help support the development of air logistics professionals as well. Logistics talents who fulfil criteria such as completing their training, passing their exams and obtaining employment in Hengqin can apply to have 80 percent of their training fee reimbursed, with the limit set at 4,000 yuan per person. 

Similarly, eligible cross-border air logistics talents working for a Hengqin-based aviation logistics entity can apply for living subsidies of 40,000 yuan per person, which are issued over three years.

How will Macao’s aviation sector develop under the third five-year plan?

Hengqin’s measures come after the Macao government published on 18 August 2026 its third five-year plan outlining the city’s social and economic development between 2026 and 2030. 

The aviation sector is a key part of the blueprint, which mentions developing the international air transport hub (port) on the west bank of the Pearl River and promoting the construction of the Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal, as well as the Macau International Airport’s land reclamation and expansion project. 

The cargo terminal project, which is ultimately targeted to handle 300,000 tonnes of cargo per year, is one of Macao’s four major infrastructure projects. On 11 August 2026, Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai noted that the facility is slated to begin trial operation in August 2026, followed by full operation in the first half of 2027. 

The plan also describes setting up a specialised group that brings together the Macao and Hengqin governments, Guangdong and Macao customs and relevant companies to study and promote the smooth transport of goods from Hengqin to Macao’s airport.