Working sequence

Who to call when an air shipment is held at the airport

Most problems with airport cargo contacts show up before the booking is confirmed. Here is the order our Shenzhen team works through it.

Before the booking: hold notice routing

A hold notice names the airline cargo desk, the ground handler and the customs inspection point; each one answers a different question.

We put this in the booking file so the destination broker sees the same version we do.

At handover: AWB and ULD data

Keep the AWB prefix, flight number and ULD or pallet ID in the same message thread, otherwise the desk will ask for them again before tracing the shipment.

Timing matters here: the check has to happen while the shipment is still editable in our system.

After arrival: re-delivery ownership

For Shenzhen-origin cargo we confirm which party owns the re-delivery order before the flight departs, so a weekend hold does not stall the consignee.

If anything changes at this point, we reissue the file rather than patching it by email.

The failure point we see most often: Sending the hold notice only to the sales contact and never to the handling agent, which loses a full day at the terminal.

Have these ready before filing:

Commercial invoice and packing list with matching values and descriptions.
Classification, origin and any licence references used in the declaration.
Booking reference, transport document and the consignee’s broker contact.

Questions importers ask us

Who is responsible for getting this right on a China-origin shipment?

The shipper supplies accurate product and value data; Hovmar Logistics checks the file before submission and coordinates with the destination broker. We confirm the split in writing at booking.

Can Hovmar review this before the cargo leaves Shenzhen?

Yes. Send the commercial invoice, packing list and intended classification before cutoff and our customs desk will flag gaps while they are still easy to fix.

Where this fits in your shipment

Planning a shipment from Shenzhen?

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Notes from the Hovmar Logistics customs desk in Shenzhen. Confirm current requirements with your licensed broker before filing.