A collaboration on developing a cargo terminal at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport into a benchmark smart logistics facility was signed between Swissport International AG and Shanghai Smargo Logistics Services Co Ltd on Tuesday.

As an important cargo facility for Shanghai, striving to build an international aviation hub, the smart cargo terminal is projected to be operational by the end of this year. By then, it will be run by Shanghai Smargo Logistics Services, a joint venture between the logistics arms of the Shanghai Airport (Group) Co Ltd and the China Eastern Air Holding Co Ltd.

Aviation services provider Swissport operates around 300 airports in 45 countries. Its global leading air cargo management concepts and operational models will help its Chinese partner to achieve new breakthroughs in intelligent cargo terminal management, process optimization, and standards development at the airport.

Integrating new concepts of smart airport construction, technologies including 5G, big data, and artificial intelligence, the smart cargo terminal looked to achieve automation in cargo handling systems, procedural management in cargo security inspections, and intelligence of building facilities. The goal is to create a new benchmark for the intelligent operation of cargo terminals in China and the world as a whole.

Shanghai's two airports handled 4.2 million tons of cargo and mail throughput in 2024, ranking second worldwide for the first time. The new smart cargo terminal will further enhance the competitiveness and influence of Shanghai as an international air cargo hub, better serving high-level opening-up, and offering a Shanghai airport solution for the stability, smooth flow, and efficiency of the global supply chain.