Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport has capped a blisteringly busy fortnight, processing more than 1.14 million inbound and outbound passengers between 15 April and 5 May – a 14.5 percent year-on-year jump, according to figures released by Baiyun Immigration Inspection on 5 May. The surge coincided with the 139th Canton Fair, Asia’s largest trade show, which attracted 191 nationalities and a record share of business-visa travellers. Nearly 540,000 foreign merchants used the airport, up 20.8 percent on 2025, while holders of 10-day business visit visas and on-arrival permits accounted for almost half of all foreign entries. Behind the numbers sits Beijing’s unilateral 30-day visa-free policy for 45 countries and expedited e-arrival card, which slashed lead times for last-minute buyers. Immigration officials said visa-free arrivals at Baiyun jumped 56 percent to 120,000 during the Fair, underscoring how policy liberalisation is feeding directly into trade conversion on the show floor.
![Canton Fair drives Baiyun Airport’s busiest fortnight since the pandemic]()
For companies and individual travellers still unsure which documentation route suits their trip, VisaHQ’s online platform can rapidly clarify requirements, file applications, and arrange courier collection worldwide; its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) also tracks the latest waiver updates so teams can match Baiyun’s fast-moving policy shifts with equally fast paperwork.
Airlines have been quick to follow the demand curve: since early April, weekly international frequencies at Baiyun are up 10 percent, restoring secondary cities such as Perth and Milan and adding belly-cargo capacity for exhibitors flying samples in and orders out. Logistics firms report clearance times for ATA carnet goods are now back to, or faster than, their 2019 baseline. For corporate mobility managers the take-away is two-fold. First, anticipate tighter flight inventory around China’s major trade expos; second, leverage the visa-waiver and on-arrival channels now widely accepted at Baiyun to shorten deployment lead times. Local consultants warn, however, that travellers staying beyond ten days still need to convert to the appropriate work or residence document at the Public Security Bureau.
For companies and individual travellers still unsure which documentation route suits their trip, VisaHQ’s online platform can rapidly clarify requirements, file applications, and arrange courier collection worldwide; its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) also tracks the latest waiver updates so teams can match Baiyun’s fast-moving policy shifts with equally fast paperwork.
Airlines have been quick to follow the demand curve: since early April, weekly international frequencies at Baiyun are up 10 percent, restoring secondary cities such as Perth and Milan and adding belly-cargo capacity for exhibitors flying samples in and orders out. Logistics firms report clearance times for ATA carnet goods are now back to, or faster than, their 2019 baseline. For corporate mobility managers the take-away is two-fold. First, anticipate tighter flight inventory around China’s major trade expos; second, leverage the visa-waiver and on-arrival channels now widely accepted at Baiyun to shorten deployment lead times. Local consultants warn, however, that travellers staying beyond ten days still need to convert to the appropriate work or residence document at the Public Security Bureau.
