KK Chan, Chief Secretary for Administration of theGovernment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative, Guest of Honor(third from left) and officiating guests at the lion danceeye-dotting ceremony to mark the opening of the DHL Central AsiaHub expansion, demonstrating DHL’s commitment to supportingcustomers’ international growth. Officiating guests include (fromleft to right): Fred Lam, CEO of Airport Authority Hong Kong; LamSai-hung, Secretary for Transport and Logistics of the Governmentof the Hong Kong Special Administrative; Tobias Meyer, CEO of DHLGroup; John Pearson, CEO of DHL Express; Ken Lee, CEO of DHLExpress Asia Pacific
DHL Express, the world’s leading international express serviceprovider, has launched its state-of-the-art, expanded Central AsiaHub (CAH) in Hong Kong, amid fast-growing global trade in recentyears. To date, the total investment for CAH has reached EUR 562million since its establishment in 2004. This emphasizes DHL’s firmbelief in the growth opportunities in Asia Pacific, and commitmentto developing Hong Kong as an international aviation hub.
Commitment to facilitate trade growth between Asia and the rest ofthe world
“We believe that global trade matters, and it’s here to stay. Wehave invested more than EUR1.8 billion into our three global hubs,demonstrating our commitment to support our customers’ growth asthey expand globally,” said JohnPearson, CEO, DHL Express. “CAH is important to ourcustomers in Asia and globally, as it handles close to 20% of DHLExpress global shipment volume. While global trade is normalizingfollowing a pandemic boom, our investments today will improve ourglobal and regional network, putting us in an excellent place whenglobal trade recovers.”
“Asia is home to some of the fastest growing markets in the world.Since it was established in 2004, we have seen a continued increasein air cargo demand driven by trade between Asia and other regions,and cross-border e-commerce. Even as global trade normalizes afterthe pandemic, we have seen over 30 percent growth in throughputbetween Asia and other continents in the first three quarters of2023 when compared with the same period in 2019, far exceeding thepre-Covid level,” said KenLee, CEO for Asia Pacific, DHL Express. “Additionally, thestrategic location of the Hub in Hong Kong opens doors to manyopportunities for our customers in this region. We are confidentthat the expanded CAH will foster interconnectivity and underpinAsia’s status as a powerhouse of global growth.”
Located strategically in the heart of Asia, the CAH serves as aunique gateway to one of the fastest-growing regions in the world.DHL Express initiated the expansion of this facility to complementthe launch of the Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runwaysystem, set to be completed by 2024. The expanded CAH will furtherunderscore Hong Kong’s role as an aviation center as it facilitatesglobal trade flow and commerce.
CAH is strategically located within a four-hour flight time tomajor cities in Asia Pacific and the Pan-Pearl River Delta region,making its location in the city significant. DHL Express’s AsiaPacific air network operates on a multi-hub strategy, supported byfour hubs – CAH in Hong Kong, North Asia Hub in Shanghai, SouthAsia Hub in Singapore and Bangkok Hub, linking to approximately 900DHL Express facilities in the region. The newly expandedworld-class express cargo facility handles over 200 dedicatedflights per week. Moreover, it is complemented by awell-established Asia air network, which supports about 690 dailyflights.
KK Chan, the Chief Secretary for Administration of the Governmentof the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said, “Wehave rolled out the Action Plan on Modern Logistics Developmentfollowing the policy address delivered by our Chief Executive weeksago, specifically leading the air cargo sector towards smart,green, sustainable, and high value-added development. As animportant partner for attaining these goals, the expansion of DHL’sCentral Asia Hub supports our airport’s transformation from a cityairport into an ‘Airport City’, to tap into the airport’s increasedcargo handling capability. We are also strengthening our role as anair cargo trans-shipment hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-MacaoGreater Bay Area, one of the world’s largest manufacturing clustersand home to over 86 million potential customers."
Fred Lam, Chief Executive Officer at Airport Authority Hong Kong(AAHK), said, “With a long-term vision to develop Hong KongInternational Airport (HKIA) as the e-commerce fulfillment centreof Asia, AAHK has been working closely with DHL to expand itsCentral Asia Hub – first in 2008, followed by a second expansion in2017. Today, we are celebrating the completion of the expansion –with enhanced capabilities in handling express and small parcelshipments – that will allow both DHL and HKIA to capitalize on theimmense opportunities available in cross-boundarye-commerce.”