News / Pandemic rules bring China air cargo chaos as ground staff quit and rates soar

Ground handling staff in China are quitting in droves over new Covid rules, triggering the cancellation of hundreds of flights and the prospect of freight rates reaching “extraordinary” levels.

According to one Chinese forwarder, long handling times at Shanghai Pudong (PVG) saw some cargo flights taking off empty over the weekend.

He told The Loadstar: “Export cargo handling times are six to 10 hours, two-to-three times longer than normal.

“PVG is the most affected and, over the weekend, many flights could only load ...