The Cainiao Smart Gateway logistics centre at the airport will boost air cargo capacity by an additional 1.7 million tonnes each year, while assisting Hong Kong in becoming a cross-border e-commerce hub, officials said on Tuesday.

With an investment of HK$12 billion, construction of the gateway with a total floor area of 380,000 square metres was completed last year. It is expected to further upgrade the airport’s cargo handling capabilities with less manpower demand.

A high-end logistics centre, the gateway is the third largest warehouse in the city and was developed and backed by Cainiao, the logistics arm of the Alibaba Group, along with China National Aviation and YTO Express.

The airport is stepping up efforts to push forward a vision of transforming the city into an e-commerce and trade hub, while being a gateway for the Greater Bay Area to transport goods internationally.

"Over 75 percent of the air cargo in the Greater Bay Area is transshipped through Hong Kong International Airport at present," said Cissy Chan, Executive Director, Commercial, at HKIA.

"There’s clear guidance from the 14th five-year development plan to position Hong Kong International Airport as a global aviation hub, and among various airports in the Greater Bay Area, different airports have different positions."

"The Greater Bay Area Outline Development Plan also pointed out to set up a world-class airport cluster," Chan added, noting that HKIA is also working with Dongguan city to promote air-sea transport to build smart logistics communities.

She also said the airport aims to become a leader in handling special cargo, with more advanced systems being adopted to monitor temperatures for particular goods.

Separately, Chan said she is optimistic regarding the city's aviation recovery outlook in 2024, as air cargo volumes have already jumped 20 percent year-on-year in the first two months, partially on the back of a low base last year.

Meanwhile, Tim Wong, General Manager Cargo Service Delivery at Cathay Pacific, said the city’s flagship carrier has seen cargo capacity return to 85 percent of pre-Covid levels, with 1.4 million tonnes transported last year.

He said he hopes the group’s cargo capacity will fully return to pre-Covid levels this year.