Shanghai Exceeds 40 Million Exit/Entry Passenger Mark
By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily | Jan. 03, 2017
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The Shanghai Port welcomed up to 42.4 million inbound and outbound passengers in the past year, up 12.9% year on year, according to statistics released by Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.
The number marks the highest record of 37.5 million in 2015.
Since the implementation of the new 144-hour transit visa exemption at Shanghai in January 2016, an estimated 35,000 foreign nationals have entered under the policy, 90% higher than the number of foreigners using the 72-hour visa-free policy in 2015.
Likewise, foreign cruise travelers are now allowed 15-day transit visa exemptions. Since the new policy, over 6,000 foreign cruise travelers have entered.
Immigration inspection efficiency was also improved as more self-service facilities were installed.
Besides its 15 self-service channels at Terminal 2, Shanghai Pudong International Airport installed 12 more at Terminal 1, which could help foreigners clear customs within 10 seconds.
According to statistics, about 2.25 million passengers entered the country via these self-service channels in 2016, up 93 percent from 2015.