Cainiao completes first phase of Liège smart hub

Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao has completed the first phase of its ‘smart hub’ at Liège Airport in Belgium with a 33,000 square metre facility that is set to open in September.

In an interview piece published by Lloyd’s Loading List today (30 July), the airport’s VP Commercial, Steven Verhasselt, was quoted as saying: “The building is ready and preparations are in full swing to open up in September and be fully operation for the e-commerce peak in November.”

The Lloyd’s Loading List article said that subsequent development will see the Liège hub extended to 220,000 square metres as part of a €100 million investment programme. The full build-out of the hub is scheduled for 2025.

The report added that Cainiao currently operates around 18 cargo flights a week during the daytime and 60 trucks per day on average to and from the Belgian airport.