Customs and quarantine clearances at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport have become more efficient thanks to a merging of the two services across the country on April 20 in a government departments restructuring.

International arrivals now need to open their bags for inspection only once in order to complete both the customs and quarantine processes.

This reduces hassle for travelers, especially those who have flown a long distance carrying a lot of luggage, said Wu Hanfeng, a customs officer at the airport.

Imported commodities now need to stop only one time, upon request, to get through both customs and quarantine, cutting the time required in half. This is especially beneficial to importers of fresh products.

The processing of both customs and quarantine documents are carried out simultaneously in order to increase efficiency, said Jiang Xin, another customs officer.

The inspection of mail and courier parcels, among others services, has also been streamlined as a result of the merge.

As the largest airport in South China, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport served 65 million passengers last year, 17.05 million of which were crossing the border.

Fresh products imported through the airport, including salmon and lobsters, surged 46 percent to about 7,699 tons in the first two months of this year, according to Guangzhou Customs.

Passengers pass the border at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]