Scheduled to open next year, the new hub will be built on a 1 million square foot site. When open, the hub will operate around the clock, throughout the year. The carrier will increase cargo load capacity to Shanghai by switching its planes from the MD-11s in current service to Boeing 747-400s. Service will ramp up over time with sorting capacity projected to reach 17,000 pieces per hour by 2012.
The hub will link all of China to the UPS international network through Shanghai. Service will continue from there to the rest of Asia, Europe and the Americas. In the mix are points in china served by UPS through services provided by an all-cargo airline, Yangtze River Express. Yangtze operates 24 dedicated movements each week, while UPS has 76 weekly takeoffs and landings in Shanghai.
Ken Torok, the UPS Asia-Pacific president, notes that, “As we expand our transportation and distribution network and enhance our package delivery and supply chain services in China, the UPS International Air Hub will connect China to international markets faster and more efficiently.”
