DHL Express has opened its expanded Central Asia Hub (CAH) in Hong Kong. The carrier initiated the expansion of the facility to complement the launch of the Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runway system, set to be completed by 2024.
DHL says that, with direct access to airside and landside, CAH is currently the only dedicated and purpose-built air express cargo facility at Hong Kong International Airport. It brings a 50% increase in total warehouse space to 49,500sq m (532,770sq ft) and an automated material handling system, increasing peak handling capacity by almost 70% to 125,000 shipments per hour. Annual total tonnage capacity is expected to increase by 50% to 1.06 million tons, six times the volume when the hub was first established in 2004.
It is also the first Hong Kong’s express facility to deploy computerized tomography (CT) X-ray scan technology, which double inspection speed.
CAH is within a four-hour flight time of major cities in Asia Pacific and the Pan-Pearl River Delta region and forms part of DHL Express’s Asia Pacific multi-hub strategy, along with Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok. The expanded Hong Kong facility will handle over 200 dedicated flights per week, complemented by an Asia air network of about 690 daily flights.