Chongqing government is establishing an airfreight logistics platform to facilitate the export of personal computers made by Hewlett-Packard, according to a municipal government website.

It has agreed to alter the layout of the local airport, extending the second runway to 3,600 metres from the designed 3,200 metres to make it easier for the US-headquartered company to operate its cargo planes.

To help HP further, the city will complete construction by end-July 2010 of additional supporting facilities such as cargo terminals, distribution centres and internal logistics channels tailored to the PC-maker.

HP is expected to export 400 tons of Chongqing-made products every day by 2012, significantly increasing the airport’s cargo throughput which currently stands at around 600 tons a day. Chongqing airport handled 186,000 tons of cargo in 2009.

The municipality’s economy is becoming increasingly international. Its exports increased 50 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010, which was 29 per cent higher than the national average level. Exports of mechanical and electrical products reached US$930m, accounting for 70 per cent of the total.