APEC峰会前深圳航空货运受限，旺季货物或转向广州等口岸

SF Express at Shenzhen Windmemories / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

By Alex Lennane

10 November 2026

Air cargo moving in and out of Shenzhen faces restrictions ahead of next week’s APEC summit, with operators announcing cargo embargoes, longer handling times, and changes to collection and delivery services.

The measures threaten to complicate peak season shipments through mainland China’s third-largest cargo airport, while forwarders warn that diversions will tighten space at neighbouring Guangzhou.

And elsewhere in the region, Taiwan’s cargo congestion is expected to delay freighter operations throughout Q4.

The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting takes place in Shenzhen on 18-19 November, with the main cargo restrictions covering 16-20 November.

ANA Cargo’s notice, issued yesterday, restricts dangerous goods through 20 November, including excepted quantities and goods normally treated as unrestricted under special provisions. Previously booked dangerous goods shipments travelling  9-15 November can still be accepted, but new bookings are barred.

From 16-20 November, ANA will also refuse perishables, PRIO products, time-sensitive shipments, cargo exceeding its AKE container-door dimensions, and shipper-built units, other than those using AKE containers.

The restrictions cover arrivals, departures, and air-to-air connections through Shenzhen. Air-to-road connections are exempt from the transit provision.

For accepted shipments, ANA requires exports to be tendered at least 12 hours before scheduled departure, while imports will become available for collection at least eight hours after arrival. The carrier attributes the measures to instructions from local authorities ahead of APEC.

Teleport has published a broader notice, saying international passenger flights arriving at or departing from Shenzhen will be prohibited from carrying cargo between midnight on 16 November and 6pm on 20 November, local time. Its advisory instructs cargo agents and terminal operators not to accept or handle cargo for affected services.

The published notices differ in scope, and an airport-wide embargo covering all operators has not been independently established.

UPS, meanwhile, has announced temporary adjustments to import, export, collection, and delivery services in selected areas from 12-21 November, citing traffic controls and enhanced security screening.

Road restrictions will add another constraint. Shenzhen police have banned dangerous-goods vehicles from all city roads, including expressways, on 16–20 November. Other freight vehicles face restrictions on specified roads and in selected districts at different times.

The city’s Ports Office has also urged cross-border freight companies to bring stock movements forward, postpone non-urgent orders, and stagger necessary journeys during the summit week.

Dimerco warned in its 3 November freight report that APEC “may halt Shenzhen terminal acceptance on 16–20 November”, advising customers to plan South China exports around restrictions. The forwarder also identified APEC and winter schedule changes as constraints on freighter and belly capacity during the year-end peak.

Hong Kong and Guangzhou offer alternative gateways, but securing uplift could prove difficult. Geodis has recommended considering both airports, while Zencargo warned that Shenzhen flight cancellations would divert cargo into Guangzhou, leaving “very tight space” on services to Europe and the US.

The disruption comes as peak season demand pushes up China’s airfreight rates.

Freightos reported today that China-US prices increased 3% last week to more than $8/kg, already reaching the previous year’s high, recorded only in mid-December. China–Europe rates rose 11%, to $4.87,/kg, up 23% year on year.

Shenzhen handled approximately 2.05m tonnes of cargo and mail in 2025, including 1.06m tonnes of international and regional traffic.

The airport has developed specialist handling arrangements for lithium batteries, battery-containing electronics and vaping products, potentially exposing established export flows to dangerous goods restrictions. Its first-half report this year records the launch of bonded e-cigarette export operations.

Perishable imports are also exposed: Shenzhen handled 25,000 tonnes of fresh and cold-chain imports in the first half of 2026, up 37.1% year on year. The total tonnage covered by the announced restrictions has not been established.

Meanwhile, congestion at Taiwan Taoyuan Airport is expected to delay freighter operations throughout Q4, extending the disruption previously reported by The Loadstar.

In an update yesterday, Expeditors said ground handlers were serving 80-90 additional freighters a month above regular commercial flights. Exports of AI servers and semiconductor equipment, alongside imports of equipment, raw materials, and server parts, were stretching resources.

Imports awaiting breakdown had occupied cargo dollies needed to move exports to the ramp. Dolly availability has improved, but staffing constraints and the residual backlog mean recovery remains gradual.

China Airlines’ freighter services have experienced the most disruption. Expeditors said “freighter delays are expected throughout Q4”, although it did not expect large-scale cancellations to continue.

Further cancellations remain possible as handlers clear the backlog, with longer handling times, delayed import availability, and onward connections remaining concerns.