SF Express builds distribution facility in Shandong Airport

CHINA'S leading local express service provider SF Express has started building a regional distribution centre in Weifang Airport in the north eastern province of Shandong province, Logistics Week reported.

SF Express signed an agreement with the airport in June to invest CNY76 million (US$10 million) on building the facility for sorting and distribution of express parcels from inside Shandong and neighbouring provinces and cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Covering 1.7 hectares and a floor area of 8,850 square metres, the facility is scheduled to start operations in the later half of next year.

The report said the facility is able to meet the growth of the company for the upcoming 10 years and will turn Weifang Airport into its hub in northeast Asia.

The Weifang Airport is operating two all-cargo lines. The Weifang-Shanghai line is run by China Postal Airlines and offers 12 weekly services. The other is the Beijing-Weifang-Hangzhou-Shenzhen line, operated by SF Express by chartering a Yangtze River Express Airlines' Boeing 737 aircraft and offering 14 services a week. The airport handled 8,189 tons of cargo from January to September this year.