Shanghai Pudong International Airport saw its cargo volumes plunge in April as a result of lockdown measures in the city which was initially targeted to only last until April 5 when it was introduced on March 27 to control a Covid-19 outbreak in the city.

The Centre for Aviation (CAPA) reported that the major Chinese gateway logged 111,600 tonnes of cargo in April — down by 70% compared to the same period in 2021.

CAPA said the domestic cargo was at 2,000 tonnes or 91.2% lower year-on-year, while international cargo recorded 89,900 tonnes also down 71% compared to the year-ago level seen.

The report added that regional cargo also dropped 50.4% to 19,700 tonnes as airlines were forced to cancel or reroute flights from the major Chinese air freight and shipping capital to avoid the tough Covid-19 restrictions in Shanghai.

Meanwhile, aircraft movement at the major Chinese hub also plummeted to 3,520 for the month of April, down 90.7% year-on-year.

CAPA said domestic was down 99.3% to 216 plane movements and a 66.2% drop to 2,299 aircraft movements internationally. Meanwhile, Shanghai Pudong saw its regional flight movements also decline by 55.3% to 682.

In terms of passenger numbers, Shanghai said for April, the numbers dropped by 98.9% year-on-year to just 42,600 with 8,300 domestic — down 99.8% and international also down 54.5% to 27,000 for the month. Regional numbers stood at 6,600 — also marking an 89.9% decline.

Shanghai reported on Tuesday three consecutive days with no new Covid cases outside quarantine zones — a boon for the city as this could pave the way for the lifting of restrictions even as China continues to pursue its zero Covid-19 policy.

Meanwhile, China in general, reported 1,159 cases of Covid-19 cases on Monday, mostly in Shanghai, but "almost all" were reportedly asymptomatic. 

Chinese media said Shanghai is looking to end Covid-19 related restrictions quoting an official as saying that "normal life" for the people in the city will resume on June 1.