TEAMING up with AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Budapest Airport (BUD) held a series of workshop events in Shanghai and Hong Kong that attracted representatives from Chinese air cargo and e-commerce companies
TEAMING up with AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Budapest Airport (BUD) held a series of workshop events in Shanghai and Hong Kong that attracted representatives from Chinese air cargo and e-commerce companies. The attendees included Chinese e-commerce giants Yunda Express, STO Express and SF Express, Qingdao and Xian airports, and the Consul General of Hungary in Shanghai, reported London's Freightweek.
Speaking at the conference, BUD chief cargo officer Rene Droese said: 'Budapest Airport is right on track to becoming the main cargo hub for China in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region.
'In the last few years the e-commerce market in CEE has increased to EUR80 billion (US$88.6 billion) per annum, and from its central location, BUD can supply the entire region.'
Discussions at the workshop covered topics, including e-commerce, the Belt and Road Initiative, competition from direct Chinese train services, new routes opening between BUD and Chinese airports, and BUD's capabilities and its development plans for the BUD cargo city.
'The newly launched Shanghai Airlines-operated direct flight between Shanghai and Budapest and its cargo capacity is a serious advantage for Hungary, which comes at the best possible time to gravitate the ever-growing e-commerce business into the CEE region,' said Consul General Szilard Bolla at the Hungarian consulate in Shanghai.
'We have all the good reasons to believe that further flights and related logistics investment will follow from China and from the Asia Pacific region.'
BUD's connections to China have been boosted this year by a new freighter flight operated by Cargolux to Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport (CGO), and a new belly cargo connection between BUD and Shanghai Pudong airport was launched this June.
'Budapest Airport is set to become the ideal e-commerce environment for Chinese trade, and with BUD cargo city opening this November, we will not only be supporting growth in the air cargo industry at large, but helping to meet regional demand for Chinese imports and exports,' added Mr Droese.
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