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Surge in Chinese Parcels Strains Capacity at Belgian Freight Airport
A Belgian freight airport has received over 4 million small parcels from China daily since the start of 2026, overwhelming its customs team of 80 members. The top customs official stated that the increase stems from diversions due to U.S. and European policy changes. Proposed fees across the bloc aim to address the issue, though the core concern involves product compliance with standards.
South China Morning PostAudio version
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More than 4 million small parcels from China have arrived at a freight airport in Belgium every day since the beginning of 2026, according to a report from the South China Morning Post. The customs inspection team at the airport consists of only 80 members.
Belgium’s top customs official, Kristian Vanderwaeren, stated that the airport, located near the Netherlands, Germany, and France, was built in part to serve e-commerce platforms such as Amazon, Shein, Temu, and Alibaba.
the Increase Vanderwaeren said the rise in parcels diverted to Europe occurred after a U.S. executive order on February 1, 2025, eliminated a duty-free exemption for Chinese packages valued under $800. The situation worsened this year following the introduction of handling fees in Italy and France, leading more parcels to be redirected to the Belgian airport to avoid those charges.
The bloc has proposed implementing a €2 handling fee and a €3 flat-rate fee per small parcel valued below €150 later in 2026. Beijing has stated that these proposed measures would be unfair.
said the primary issue is not the volume but the quality of the products, with many failing to meet standards and having improperly declared values. He reported that 30 percent of inspected parcels violate standards, with a 100 percent infringement rate for certain goods like cosmetics.
“The problem for me, as a customs officer, is not so much the quantity. The problem is that we’re being flooded with Chinese products that … do not meet European standards, whose value is not properly declared.”
