The first batch of Chilean cherries shipped by air from Anhui this year arrived in Hefei to compete for freshness

Article source: China Guomen Times

Recently, a flight carrying 26 tons of Chilean cherries landed safely at Hefei Xinqiao International Airport. This batch of "Southern Hemisphere Ruby" with full fruit shape and bright red color was quickly supervised by the airport and customs clearance, and completed quarantine and release in just 2 hours. It was then loaded onto trucks and transported to supermarkets in Hefei city and surrounding areas. This is the first batch of Chilean cherries to be air freighted into Anhui this year, officially marking the beginning of the 2025 cherry "fresh enjoyment" season in the Anhui market.

As a popular fresh fruit for winter consumption, the freshness of cherries cannot be separated from the full chain timeliness guarantee. The cherries that arrived in Hefei this time were picked from Chilean orchards and boarded the plane in just 48 hours. After a 30 hour transoceanic flight, the fruit stalks remained green and firm, with a crisp and sweet taste intact. Behind the impressive quality assurance is the strong growth momentum of Hefei Airport's cargo transportation: in the first 10 months of this year, the international cargo throughput of Hefei Xinqiao International Airport reached 36000 tons, of which the international cargo volume exceeded 6500 tons in October, a year-on-year increase of 219%, breaking the historical peak of the port in a single month.

In 2025, Hefei Xinqiao Airport Customs, under the jurisdiction of Hefei Customs, innovatively launched the exclusive service of "airside direct access+apron direct pickup". Goods can be directly transferred from the apron to the adjacent cold chain inspection area through a dedicated channel, eliminating the intermediate short haul link and reducing transfer time by 50%. At the same time, the intelligent quarantine approval system has been implemented to complete the plant inspection certificate review ahead of schedule. Combined with the "7 × 24 hour" appointment for customs clearance and the "green channel" for fresh products, the entire customs clearance process has been accelerated by 30% compared to last year.

At the inspection site, the low-temperature clean inspection area maintains a constant temperature environment of 0 ℃ to 8 ℃. Customs officers simultaneously carry out disease and pest screening and rapid detection of pesticide residues, which not only ensures the quality of cherries but also strengthens the national security line. Next, the customs of Hefei Xinqiao Airport will continue to optimize the "one enterprise, one policy" customized service, and provide more efficient regulatory services to support the construction of Anhui's high-energy open air portal, allowing more overseas fresh products to quickly reach consumers' tables and enrich winter consumption choices. (Wu Wei)