DHL Unveils Major New Smart Logistics Gateway at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport

According to China Daily, DHL Express officially launches its expanded super gateway based at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport on 28 July, marking the single largest capital investment made by the logistics firm within mainland China with total expenditure surpassing 1.2 billion yuan.

Headquartered in Bonn, Germany, DHL operates an international logistics network spanning more than 220 countries and territories, employing approximately 400,000 staff members across its global operations.

This state-of-the-art facility comes from a full reconstruction and expansion project built upon DHL’s original Shenzhen cargo terminal, a development first initiated back in 2022 after four years of construction work. The upgraded site delivers a total operational floor space of 22,000 square metres, with a daily cargo handling capacity of 900 tonnes – three times the throughput of the former premises. DHL’s Shenzhen terminal has stood as a pivotal logistics node for South China and the wider Asia-Pacific supply chain since relocating to the airport’s international express supervision centre in 2007.

Automation, unmanned handling and intelligent digital management form the three core pillars underpinning the new super gateway’s operations. The site is fully equipped with high-speed parcel sorting machinery, automated vertical storage racking, robotic manipulators and automated guided vehicles, forming an integrated smart logistics framework covering every stage of cargo movement: loading, storage, sorting, internal transit, customs inspection and real-time operational monitoring.

Extra dedicated air freight routes linking Shenzhen directly to major cities across Asia-Pacific and global markets enter regular service once the gateway opens for full operation. Electronic goods manufactured in Shenzhen, cross-border e-commerce parcels dispatched from Guangzhou and precision industrial components produced in Dongguan – core export goods originating within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area – achieve far faster transit times to overseas end consumers.

The new super gateway establishes powerful operational synergy alongside DHL’s existing Guangzhou terminal and the brand’s Central Asia hub based in Hong Kong. Cargo shipments enjoy two flexible outbound routes: direct air departures from Shenzhen to international destinations, or seamless overland transit to the Hong Kong logistics hub, where the territory’s extensive global flight network enables long-haul intercontinental transfers to all corners of the world.

The fully operational smart gateway strengthens integrated regional economic ties, laying robust infrastructure foundations to sustain expanding trade flows across the Asia-Pacific region and global markets.