Shanghai Pudong Airport Comprehensive Bonded Area has passed a government inspection and is now operational, Logistics Week reported.

The facility in the west of the Pudong Airport covers an area of 3.59 sq km. Deputy Director of Shanghai Customs Zhong Baohua said the area would promote the development of air transport, industries that rely on air, as well as bonded logistics and processing.

The comprehensive bonded area is a new type of Customs-supervised location that enjoys the same preferential policies granted by government as in a bonded port area.

Meanwhile, another bonded area on the Yangtze has passed official inspection, this time in Chongqing, on the upper reaches of the river. Cuntan Bonded Port Area phase one will cover 2.67 sq km, comprising 1.77 sq km for water cargo operations and 0.9 sq km for air cargo. Since construction started in June 2009, Rmb3.3bn has been spent on the facility.