Hong Kong Airport Authority plans to use logistics park to cement position as cargo hub and better connect with Greater Bay Area
- Hong Kong International Airport’s logistics park in mainland China to handle 1 million tonnes of cargo per year by 2025
- City’s airport topped the world’s busiest in terms of cargo last year, handling 4.2 million tonnes of goods, despite the Covid-19 pandemic
Cissy Chan Ching-sze, executive director of Airport Authority Hong Kong, on Wednesday said the long-term plan was for the cargo throughput at the logistics park in Dongguan to be doubled to 2 million tonnes. It is the authority’s first offshore security check-up facility for air cargo.
The 2 million figure represents about half of the airport’s total of 4.2 million tonnes throughput last year when it was ranked the world’s busiest cargo airport.
She said the authority was in discussions with Hong Kong customs for arrangements to facilitate quicker clearance of goods.
“[It] is meant to reduce the [operation] cost by half and also reduce the [handling] time by about one-third [upon a full launch],” Chan said. “We will play a better role as a double gateway linking the Greater Bay Area to the rest of the world.”
The Greater Bay Area refers to Beijing’s plan to group Hong Kong, Macau and nine mainland cities, including Shenzhen, into an IT-led economic powerhouse.
Hong Kong customs said it had been facilitating the scheme by implementing tailor-made control measures to help expedite transshipment and uphold the city’s role as a logistics hub.
