DHL Express launches expanded Central Asia Hub in HK

DHL Express has launched its expanded Central Asia Hub (CAH) in Hong Kong, highlighting DHL's belief in growth opportunities in APAC and showing its commitment to developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub.

This comes as DHL Express’s Asia Pacific air network operates on a multi-hub strategy, supported by four hubs, including CAH in Hong Kong, North Asia Hub in Shanghai, South Asia Hub in Singapore and Bangkok Hub, linking to approximately 900 DHL Express facilities in the region.

The newly expanded world-class express cargo facility handles over 200 dedicated flights per week. Moreover, it is complemented by a well-established Asia air network, which supports about 690 daily flights.

The expansion of CAH aims to further underscore Hong Kong’s role as an aviation centre as it facilitates global trade flow and commerce. To date, the total investment for CAH has reached US$609 million since its establishment in 2004.

DHL Express initiated the expansion of this facility to complement the launch of the Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runway system, set to be completed by 2024.

According to DHL Express, the hub has a 50% increase in total warehouse space to 49,500 square meters and an automated material handling system, allowing its peak handling capacity to increase by almost 70% to 125,000 shipments per hour.

In addition, the annual total tonnage management is expected to increase by 50% to 1.06 million tons per annum when operating at full capacity. This is six times the shipment volume of when the Hub was first established in 2004, according to the company.

In fact, the expansion of DHL Express’s Central Asia Hub comes after chief executive John Lee Ka’s policy address on 25 October. Lee said that logistics development was vital to Hong Kong's status as an international trade centre. 

Don’t miss: 6 key takeaways for the HK marketing community from Policy Address 2023

John Pearson, CEO, DHL Express, said: “CAH is important to our customers in Asia and globally, as it handles close to 20% of DHL Express's global shipment volume. While global trade is normalising following a pandemic boom, our investments today will improve our global and regional network, putting us in an excellent place when global trade recovers.”

Ken Lee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express, said: “Additionally, the strategic location of the Hub in Hong Kong opens doors to many opportunities for our customers in this region. We are confident that the expanded CAH will foster interconnectivity and underpin Asia’s status as a powerhouse of global growth.”  

Chan Kwok Ki, chief secretary for administration of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said, “As an important partner for attaining these goals, the expansion of DHL’s Central Asia Hub supports our airport’s transformation from a city airport into an ‘Airport City’, to tap into the airport’s increased cargo handling capability."

"We are also strengthening our role as an air cargo trans-shipment hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, one of the world’s largest manufacturing clusters and home to over 86 million potential customers," Chan added.

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