Lunar New Year 2024 – Key dates and impact on logistics

The Lunar New Year for the beginning of the "Year of the Dragon" takes place on February 10, 2024, and is the biggest festival in Chinese communities where people celebrate the start of a new year with their families.

During the festive season, most shops and factories in mainland China will be closed and production will be paused. We would like to inform you about the most important dates on which Dachser branches in the Asia-Pacific region will be closed and the possible impact on your business.

The impact of the Lunar New Year on logistics and how to minimize it:

• Chinese suppliers start to wind down operations one to two weeks in advance of the public holiday. Even though the official holiday only lasts for a week, most factories close for an entire month and some even longer.
• While businesses are closed and there is minimal production from mainland China, carriers will deploy less capacity to and from mainland China.
• Holiday impact is about two months. Therefore, companies that depend on Chinese or Asian suppliers are likely to stock up inventories leading to a pre-holiday cargo rush. It will also take some time after the festival for market conditions to normalize.

While we do our best to minimize potential disruptions in your supply chain, you can help us by keeping the following in mind: 

• Communicate with your suppliers and customers to make arrangements for sufficient stock and manage expectations
• Discuss your planning with us and prepare an accurate shipment forecast for long-term planning, so that we can offer you the most suitable solution that fits your budget and schedule
• Place your booking earlier and pay attention to the cut-off dates
• For sea freight, it is recommended to book 4-6 weeks before the start of the holiday
• For air freight, it is recommended to book 1-2 weeks before the start of the holiday

Timetable for the closure of Asian branches on public holidays:

In addition to mainland China, other regions in the Asia-Pacific region celebrate the festival as well. Please note the public holidays below on which DACHSER branches are closed.

• Mainland China - February 9 - 17
• Hong Kong - February 10 - 13
• Taiwan - February 8 - 14
• Indonesia – February 9-10
• Korea - February 9 - 12
• Malaysia - February 10 - 12
• Singapore - February 10 - 12
• Vietnam - February 8 - 14

If you have suppliers or production lines in China or APAC countries, please get in touch with us to work out an operational logistics plan and together we can create a solid forecast for the New Year period and beyond.

We at DACHSER will do our best to ensure the flow of goods before, during and after Lunar New Year.

If you have any questions on this topic, please get in touch with your contact person at your local DACHSER branch.