As Chinese New Year (CNY) approaches, global logistics enters a particularly sensitive phase. This period does not only concern China, but also other major countries in the Asian supply chain such as Vietnam (Tết) and Cambodia.
Each year, these celebrations have a direct impact on industrial production, transport capacity and transit times. For importers and exporters, anticipation becomes a decisive factor to secure flows and avoid supply chain disruptions.
Understanding Chinese New Year and its logistics challenges
A tradition with major industrial consequences
Chinese New Year is the most important celebration in the Asian calendar. It is accompanied by extended holidays and massive worker movements back to their home regions.
In practice, this results in:
- A gradual slowdown in production, followed by a complete shutdown 1 to 2 weeks before CNY.
- Factories and offices closed for several days, or even several weeks depending on the region.
- A sometimes slow restart of activity, linked to the gradual return of teams after the holidays.
Closures extending across several Asian countries
While China is at the heart of this period, Vietnam and Cambodia are also affected. These countries play a key role in many production chains, and their simultaneous shutdown further amplifies the global impact on international flows.
Operational calendar: key dates to anticipate
Closures in China
- Chinese New Year holidays: from February 15 to February 23
- Gradual reopening of offices and industrial sites from February 24
Last departures and maritime recovery
- Last consolidation in Shanghai: cut-off on February 13 for a departure on February 19
- Resumption of departures depending on available volumes: departure on March 5 (cut-off February 28)
These dates may vary depending on ports, carriers and operational conditions, but they provide essential reference points to plan your shipments.
A peak of pressure on maritime and air transport
Maritime transport: strong pressure before the holidays
The weeks leading up to Chinese New Year concentrate very high demand for maritime transport. Every shipper seeks to move goods before closures, which leads to:
- Rapid saturation of available space
- Pre-booking difficulties
- Limited inland haulage capacity to ports
After the holidays, capacities often remain adjusted by carriers, extending transit times and reducing available options.
Air freight: demand peak and reduced capacity
Air freight also experiences strong pressure up to the eve of the holidays, with:
- A new peak expected until February 10
- Flight cancellations or reductions
- Very limited space availability
Here again, anticipating space requests is essential to secure urgent shipments.
Best practices to secure your flows during CNY
Anticipating orders and bookings
To limit the risk of delays, it is recommended to:
- Place orders early in order to ship before closures
- Share clear forecasts to finalize last pre-bookings
- Validate transport solutions as early as possible
Adapting post-CNY planning
The restart of activity can be gradual and vary by region. It is therefore essential to:
- Build safety margins into schedules
- Anticipate longer lead times after the holidays
- Remain flexible on routes and transport modes
CHECK OUT OUR TRANSPORT SERVICES
At Nexline, we support our partners at every stage of these sensitive periods. Thanks to our operational expertise and close coordination with our local teams, we help you anticipate constraints, secure capacity and adjust your logistics flows.
Our teams remain at your disposal to analyze your needs, provide up-to-date operational information and offer the most suitable solutions for your supply chain.
