The test shipment handled over 10,000 packages, part of a project set to triple Macao’s air cargo capacity by 2027
Macao airport’s Hengqin cargo terminal makes first shipments
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Macau International Airport’s Hengqin Upstream Cargo Terminal completed its first trial air cargo shipment on 26 August, processing more than 10,000 cross-border e-commerce packages, including toys and watches, before they were flown onward to Malaysia and the Philippines.
How did the pilot shipment work?
The goods were handled at the Nam Kwong (Hengqin) Logistics Centre, where customs screening and palletisation took place before trucks carried the sealed containers through Hengqin Port to Macau International Airport for their flights out. Guangdong and Macao customs authorities used a joint “cross-border one lock” system, letting officers at the port check only the security seal rather than re-screening each container, cutting time at the border.
Why does this matter for Macao’s cargo capacity?
The terminal is one of four major infrastructure projects under Macao’s Third Five-Year Plan and also supports China’s 15th Five-Year Plan. Once complete, it’s designed to handle 300,000 tonnes of cargo annually, three times the airport’s current air cargo capacity of roughly 100,000 tonnes.
[See more: Hengqin is offering subsidies to boost Macao’s air freight sector]
Combined with a separate airport expansion project targeted for 2030, Macao’s total air cargo capacity is expected to reach 500,000 tonnes a year.
When will it be fully operational?
The terminal, located roughly 13 kilometres from the main airport with a floor area of about 97,600 square metres, broke ground in October 2025. The project is expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2026, undergo formal completion in the first quarter of 2027, and reach full operation in the first half of 2027.
What did officials say?
Secretary for Economy and Finance Ng Wai Han called the test shipment an important milestone, saying Macao and Hengqin would use the momentum to keep improving their trade and logistics ecosystem. Hengqin Customs deputy commissioner Zhang Lifen said routing cargo through the upstream terminal lets companies use standard mainland trucks for the first leg of transport before switching to cross-border vehicles, cutting logistics costs compared to the current system, where cross-border trucks are needed for the entire journey.
