By Dai Jingsong, Lei Chuang & Wu Huangli

As a thoroughfare to nine provinces, Hubei is engaged in facilitating a new logistics corridor, in order to make full use of the opportunities brought about by the Silk and Belt Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Zone. Wuhan, the capital of Hubei Province, is now bold enough to emerge itself as a freight distribution center both at home and abroad.

The peaceful Zoumacun Village, located in Echeng District of Ezhou, Hubei, suddenly was abuzz with noise and excitement, for an international logistics hub project (hereinafter referred to as “the Hub”) was launched here,unveiling China’s endeavor to build the world’s No. 4 and Asia’s No.1 air logistics hub.

The Hub mainly covers such projects as the construction of an airport and its auxiliary infrastructure, the SF Transshipment Center and the SF Air Base. Currently, the projects under construction include the following eight items: the Placement Community in Hangkong Dushi District of Ezhou, a comprehensive treatment project for the river system of the Lake of Flower, a reconfiguration project for Zouma Lake, a municipal sewage project in Hangkong Dushi District, a radio detection station for free airspace, the storage yard for earth and stone at the construction site, the auxiliary electric power for the airport, and the express way to the airport.The total investment amounts to 18 billion yuan.

Freight-oriented, the Hub will minor in passenger transportation and plan to attract more airlines.The freight service is mainly intended to meet the transshipment need of the air express, while integrating traditional air freight services. It will constitute the dual-hub of passenger and freight transport together with Wuhan Tianhe Airport,radiating the city circle of Wuhan. The passenger service will include sightseeing, family visits, official business and commercial activities of Ezhou and the neighboring areas; it will also play a subsidiary role in relief work, emergency rescue, and general aviation. It’s estimated that, by 2015, the total cargo and passenger throughput will reach 2.452million tons and 1million persons respectively.

As a state-planned project, Hubei Provincial Government has signed an agreement with SF Holdings to set up Hubei International Logistics Airport Co. Ltd. to co-run Ezhou Airport, the first professional freight airport in Asia. .

It represents the real work in strengthening the transportation potentials in China, optimizing the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Zone. Moreover, it is of great significance for developing inland free trade zones, accelerating the open-oriented economic systems, perfecting modern integrated transportation systems and promoting the upgrading of industrial structures.

九省通衢的湖北，搶抓“一帶一路”、長江經(jīng)濟(jì)帶等機(jī)遇，構(gòu)建“九州通衢”物流新通道。武漢，正邁向全國乃至全球貨運分撥中心。

平日寧靜的湖北省鄂州市鄂城區(qū)走馬村忽然熱鬧起來。一個國際物流核心樞紐項目（以下簡稱樞紐）在這里開工建設(shè)，拉開中國打造全球第四、亞洲第一的航空物流樞紐的帷幕。

該樞紐涵蓋機(jī)場及配套工程、順豐轉(zhuǎn)運中心工程、順豐航空基地工程等一批項目，投資巨大。此次開工的是航空都市區(qū)安置小區(qū)、花馬湖水系綜合治理、走馬湖水系改造、航空都市區(qū)市政污水處理、機(jī)場凈空保護(hù)無線電檢測站、場區(qū)土石方堆場、機(jī)場配套電力、機(jī)場快速通道等8個項目，總投資180億元。

樞紐定位貨運為主、客運為輔，將吸引一批航空公司進(jìn)駐。貨運業(yè)務(wù)主要滿足航空快遞運營中轉(zhuǎn)運作需要，兼顧傳統(tǒng)航空貨運業(yè)務(wù)，與武漢天河機(jī)場構(gòu)建武漢城市圈航空客貨“雙樞紐”；客運業(yè)務(wù)主要服務(wù)于鄂州及周邊地區(qū)的旅游、探親、公務(wù)和商務(wù)活動，兼顧保障搶險救災(zāi)、應(yīng)急救援和通用航空使用等。到2025年，樞紐年貨郵吞吐量、旅客吞吐量預(yù)計為245.2萬噸、100萬人次。

樞紐是國家規(guī)劃項目。湖北省政府與順豐控股公司簽訂合作協(xié)議，運營亞洲首個專業(yè)貨運機(jī)場——鄂州機(jī)場，在鄂州注冊成立湖北國際物流機(jī)場有限公司。

該樞紐是建設(shè)交通強(qiáng)國戰(zhàn)略的實際舉措，是 “一帶一路”建設(shè)和長江經(jīng)濟(jì)帶發(fā)展的重要支撐，對中國打造內(nèi)陸自貿(mào)區(qū)、加快構(gòu)建開放型經(jīng)濟(jì)新體制、完善現(xiàn)代綜合交通運輸體系、促進(jìn)產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)升級，具有重要且深遠(yuǎn)的意義。