Smart business: Hong Kong airport and Alibaba building a world class hub
12 / 12 / 2018
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and e-commerce giant Alibaba have expressed their commitment to work closely on a Smart Logistics Hub at the world’s largest cargo gateway.
In June this year, a joint venture led by Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Alibaba Group, was awarded the right to develop and manage the hub, which will be located in Kwo Lo Wan at the airport.
The hub occupies a site of about 5.3 hectares, with an estimated gross floor area of 380,000 sq m.
In a public demonstration of the continuing partnership, top executives from both sides today expressed their commitment to build a global smart logistics network to foster more inclusive trade.
Jack Ma, executive chairman of Alibaba Group, and Angel Zhao, president of Alibaba Global Business, met with Jack So Chak-kwong, chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) and Fred Lam, chief executive of the AA
A joint statement said that the intention was to develop the hub into "a world-class digital logistics centre in Asia, serving the fast growing global cross border e-commerce trade and strengthening Hong Kong’s international competitiveness”.
Added the statement: “Scheduled to commence operation in 2023, the hub will be future-proofed, with high design specifications for large-scale, cutting-edge robotics and automation as well as temperature-controlled features.
HKIA has been the world’s busiest cargo airport for eight consecutive years, and in 2017 cargo and airmail volumes grew 9.4% year on year to over 5m tonnes, making it the first airport to cross this milestone.
The statement continued: “The development of the hub aligns with the cargo development strategy of HKIA to capture opportunities arising from increased cross-border e-commerce and related businesses, as well as the growth in the logistics business related to temperature-controlled products such as pharmaceuticals."
Shoulder to shoulder: Jack So Chak-kwong (second right), Chairman of Airport Authority Hong Kong (AA) and Fred Lam (first right), Chief Executive Officer of the AA meet Jack Ma (second left), Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group and Angel Zhao (first left), President of Alibaba Global Business.
