UPS and the Shanghai Airport Authority yesterday held a formal groundbreaking ceremony for the newUPS International Air Hub at Pudong International Airport. The hub will open in 2008, linking UPS
domestic and international flights to and from China.“The opening of this hub will ensure we are well-positioned to support the explosive growthin Asia’s regional trade,” said UPS chairman and CEO Mike Eskew, who attended the event. “Exportvolume growth in China and throughout Asia has been robust and the outlook remains bright.”
UPS, which has invested about $600 million in China over the past five years, has notdisclosed the full investment for the Shanghai hub which will be leased from the airport authority.
Located at the southern end of the West Cargo Terminal Area, the new hub will be located on96,000 sqm piece of land. UPS expects to employ about 1,000 staff at the facility by 2010, andexpand sorting capacity rapidly to 17,000 pieces per hour by 2012. It will benefit from a new thirdrunway that is scheduled to open later this year.
UPS will expand international flights to Shanghai by upgrading to new B747-400 freightersfrom the present MD-11Fs, and gradually increase its 76 weekly takeoffs and landings at theairport. Its Chinese uplift partner, locally-based Yangtze River Express, operates 24 dedicatedweekly flight movements for UPS between Shanghai and domestic destinations.
