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Japanese automaker Mazda extends the temporary shutdown of its plants in Japan amid the ongoing partial lockdown at Shanghai Pudong airport
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Shanghai International Airport Services (SIAS), a key terminal operator at the airport, has gone on partial lockdown after several workers tested positive for COVID
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A number of freight forwarders are no longer accepting bookings for Shanghai
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Shippers and forwarders are looking at delays of up to seven days, with the situation expected to ease in early September
Air cargo flows at Shanghai Pudong International Airport continue to experience delays, with Japanese automaker Mazda announcing the further suspension of plant operations in Japan as a result of the key air transport hub’s partial lockdown.
Several cargo aircraft workers at the airport, one of the two international airports in Shanghai and a major aviation hub in East Asia, have earlier tested positive for COVID-19, sparking a suspension of freight operations.
In particular, Shanghai International Airport Services (SIAS), a key terminal operator at the airport, has gone on partial lockdown after several of its workers got infected and authorities implemented sanitation protocols for hundreds of employees.
SIAS handles ground operations for major cargo carriers such as Air China, Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific.
The capacity reduction at Shanghai compounded already reduced productivity at several airports as China copes with a resurgence in COVID-19 outbreaks.
The cargo delays at the Shanghai Pudong airport are expected to contribute to the growing logistics congestion in China and to surging rates, as Chinese seaports have also been affected by lockdowns in recent weeks even as the peak season heats up.
Meanwhile, Mazda in a brief advisory on August 27 said it is suspending operations at its Hiroshima and Hofu plants in Japan from August 30 to August 31 “as a result of expected difficulties regarding parts procurement due to uncertainties surrounding the resumption of cargo loading areas in China and the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia.”
This followed its earlier announcement on August 25 extending until August 26 and August 27 the ongoing suspension of its two plants, which already started during the night shift of August 23 caused by the cancellation of cargo shipments from China.
Reports said several freight forwarders are no longer accepting bookings for Shanghai and are trying to divert flights to other airports, some of which have their own pandemic restrictions in place, adding to transit times.
Shippers and forwarders are looking at delays in air cargo shipments that could last up to seven days, with the situation expected to ease in early September.
Cargo efficiency at Shanghai Pudong airport has already been compromised by a “7+7+7” policy, whereby airport workers work for seven days, quarantine in a hotel for a week and quarantine at home for a week.
Photo by Fayhoo
