Cainiao-led group building logistics hub at Hong Kong Airport
Alibaba’s logistics arm Cainiao Network has announced it is leading a group that will invest $1.5bn to build a logistics centre at Hong Kong International Airport.
According to an article published on the semi-official Alizila website today (6 June), Cainiao will lead the project through a joint venture with China National Aviation and YTO Express. The companies respectively hold 51%, 35% and 14% stakes in the JV.
The logistics centre will have an estimated gross floor area of 380,000 square metres, with facilities for air-cargo processing, sortation and order-fulfillment. According to the Alizila article: “It should be able to handle tens of millions of packages a year and bring an additional 1.7 million tons of cargo per year to the Hong Kong airport when fully operational, supporting burgeoning activity by small and medium-sized companies involved in e-commerce.”
The new centre is slated to go online in 2023.
Cainiao already has three global fulfilment centres operated by its partners in Hong Kong and it recently opened an airfreight route between Hong Kong and Belgium.
Last week, Cainiao also unveiled plans to open five hubs around the world, in Dubai, Hangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Liège in Belgium and Moscow.
According to Alizila: “All told, Cainiao has committed to invest over RMB 100 billion to build out a smart logistics network that drives 24-hour delivery inside China and 72 hours to and from the rest of the world.”
Wan Lin, president of Cainiao Network, commented: “The Hong Kong hub will be yet another milestone on our way to achieving our goal of 72-hour global delivery, and will further empower SMEs locally and globally to more readily tap the benefits of more inclusive globalization through cross-border e-commerce.
“As an important gateway for global goods to enter the mainland China market and vice versa, Hong Kong is of strategic importance to Cainiao, and we have a strong commitment to help the city address the surging needs of the future.”
