FedEx Express announced that it will open its new Asia-Pacific Hub at Guangzhou in southern Chinaon February 6, 2009, after the successful completion of its first flight operations test at the
airport.A month ago, the company said it was delaying the opening of its $150 million China hub byseveral months from the originally scheduled opening of mid-December until the “first half” of 2009pending further tests and preparations. It has now confirmed February 6, 2009, as the opening date.
A MD-11 aircraft landed at Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport from Subic Bay,Philippines. The flight was handled by the new FedEx hub team, utilising the FedEx ramp controltower and the new 24,000 package per hour sort system. Following a successful operations’ process,the flight departed on time for its final destination at Charles de Gaulle International Airport inParis, France. This Asia-Europe flight route will operate four times per week, FedEx Expresssaid in a statement.
“Today’s flight operations test in Guangzhou represents a significant step in ourpreparations for the opening of the largest FedEx hub outside the United States,” said David L.Cunningham Jr., president, Asia Pacific, FedEx Express.
Over the past several months, significant progress had been made in key areas, includingconstruction, IT, employee training, and the installation of the hub’s unique package and sortingsystem, comprised of 16 high-speed sorting lines, seven round-out conveyer belts, as well as atotal of 90 primary and secondary document-sorting splits, the company noted. This advanced systemwill enable FedEx to sort up to 24,000 packages an hour at the start of operations.
“It is gratifying to see the new FedEx Asia-Pacific Hub conduct a real field test after manymonths of development and with great support from the government authorities of Guangdong province,Civil Aviation Administration of China and other administration departments,” said Liu Zijing, vicepresident of Guangzhou Airport Management Corporation.
The new FedEx Asia-Pacific hub will be the largest facility of its kind outside of the USserving as the centre point of FedEx Asia Pacific operations for the next 30 years, FedEx said in astatement.
